A judge has denied a restraining-order request by Signal
Hill, Cerritos and Downey to stop the Water Replenishment
District of Southern California (WRD) from sending out
public notices about the agency’s rate-setting procedure to
nearly 800,000 parcel owners.
At issue, however, is whether municipalities or property
owners should receive the public-hearing notices, a notion
that the WRD claims is still up for interpretation.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Ralph Dau
refused to grant the cities’ request in a court hearing on Friday, March 22, admonishing the appeal as improperly
telling the WRD how to “run its business.”
Patty Quilizapa, an attorney for Aleshire & Wynder who
represents the cities in the case, however, said she contacted
the WRD to resolve any confusion about the mailers but
received no response from the agency that had already sent
out notices the day before the court hearing.
“[The WRD] did not inform us until right before the
hearing on Friday morning that they had sent out the mailers
and spent the money anyway,” Quilizapa said. “That’s why,
procedurally, it doesn’t make any sense for a judge to stop
something that already happened.”
Quilizapa, who called the WRD’s actions a “sideshow,”
contends that the mailers constitute a “waste of public
funds” since a previous judge already ruled that the WRD
is required to send notices to cities and other agencies,
referred to as “pumpers,” which are subject to WRD fees,
rather than individual parcel owners that are only indirectly
charged. Judge Dau instructed the cities to take their objections to the previous judge who had made the original ruling.
The WRD is responsible for replenishing groundwater
that is pumped from aquifers in the Central and West Coast
Basins of Southern California. The WRD charges pumpers
an annual replenishment assessment (RA) that is then
passed on to residents and businesses through a portion of
their water bills.
Signal Hill, Cerritos and Downey, in addition to Bellflower, Lynwood, Pico Rivera, the Central Basin Municipal
Water District and Tesoro Refining and Marketing Company, have filed lawsuits against the WRD for not complying with Proposition 218, a state law that requires entities
subject to fees imposed by public agencies be notified and
allowed to protest any rate changes. Los Angeles Superior
Court Judge James Chalfant has ruled twice in favor of the
cities, first upholding the charge in April 2011.
The recent mailer sent out by WRD is the agency’s first
attempt to comply with the state law.
The mailer, obtained by the Signal Tribune, states that
the WRD Board of Directors is currently considering setting
a new rate for the RA, not to exceed $298 per acre-foot of
water removed, effective July 1. The current RA rate is $244
per acre-foot, held over from 2011 when the board voted to
not increase the rate last year. According to the notice, a public hearing on the RA rate change is scheduled to take place

See more on page 10.

CJ Dablo/Signal Tribune

Middle-school students from around the Long Beach Unified School District show off their
certificates for scholarships at the fifth-anniversary celebration of the Long Beach College
Promise on March 21. CSULB Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Donald Para (left foreground) was among the education leaders who joined the celebration.
CJ Dablo
Staff Writer

At the five-year anniversary celebration of the Long Beach College
Promise, education leaders gathered
March 21 at Long Beach City College
(LBCC) to celebrate their commitment to helping students with their
dreams of higher education. The College Promise is a program that highlights collaboration among faculty,
staff and administration from Long
Beach Unified School District
(LBUSD), LBCC and California State
University, Long Beach (CSULB).

These three institutions developed a
team approach to address educational
needs of students to prepare them for
college.
The program offers key incentives
including tuition-free semesters at
LBCC and guaranteed admission to
CSULB to qualified local students,
according to a joint press statement
released by the three educational institutions.
The program offers guidance counseling to kids and clear and consistent
messaging starting in the fourth grade
see COLLEGE page 15

CJ Dablo/Signal Tribune

Dominique Vera shares her success story as a CSULB student during the March 21 celebration of the Long Beach College Promise at LBCC.

Just a week after celebrating the fifth
anniversary of his joint venture with leaders of
two other local educational institutions, California State University, Long Beach (CSULB)
President F. King Alexander was unanimously
appointed by the Louisiana State University
(LSU) Board of Supervisors to become the
system president of LSU and chancellor of
Louisiana State University A&M.
As president, Alexander helped strengthen
ties between the Long Beach Unified School
District and Long Beach City College through
the College Promise, increasing the collegegoing rates of area students and reducing their
need to remediate before taking college-level
math and English. He also persevered in securing capital funding to construct three significant building projects. They include a
$110-million state-of-the art Hall of Science, a
$70 million Student Recreation Wellness Center and a new School of Nursing building. Both
research and external funding increased significantly at CSULB during his tenure.
“My tenure as president of Cal State Long
Beach has prepared me to assume the role as
the head of the Louisiana State University system,” Alexander said. “The challenges facing
LSU are similar to those in California and elsewhere. Universities throughout the nation are
struggling to serve more students while managing declining state revenues. At the same
time, leaders in the field of higher education
know the burden is on us to demonstrate that
the public’s money is well spent. We also know
it’s time to begin the process of modernizing
our institutions so we may accommodate the
see ALEXANDER page 15

When is it time for older persons to
give up their driving privilege? How
can people who can no longer drive get
to where they need to go? Those were
among the questions answered March
21 during a panel discussion dubbed
“Driving Miss Daisy, Who Will?”
The Older Adult Transportation
Taskforce (OATT) presented the discussion at the Alpert Jewish Community Center at 3801 East Willow St. in
Long Beach. Ann Love, who recently
retired from the California Department of Motor Vehicles Senior
Ombudsman Program, California
Highway Patrol Officer Ming-Yang
Hsu, and Stephen Wrenn, Access senior mobility management counselor,
took turns addressing various issues

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faced by aging drivers.
The main speaker, Love, addressed
the audience first. She noted that determining when a person should either
limit or entirely stop driving a motor
vehicle is a decision that affects the
health and safety of everyone in the
community, including the driver in
question, passengers in his or her car,
people in other cars, and pedestrians.
Love said that California has a higher
percentage of seniors than any other
state, with 10 percent of the nation’s
elderly people living here.
She added that the percentage of
senior citizens nationwide is steadily
rising as Baby Boomers, which
account for 29 percent of the country’s
population, age. “By 2020, seniors will
be 20 percent of the population, and by
2030 they will be 25 percent of the
population,” she said. “And because
Baby Boomers are more active and
independent than seniors of previous
generations, many of them will continue to drive.”
Love explained that getting older
does not necessarily mean that a person’s driving ability is diminished.
“We all age differently,” she said.
“Medical conditions, physical impairments, visual problems, dementia or
other mental or emotional problems,
and medications are the things that
really affect driving, and not all seniors
have those issues.”
In her 45-minute presentation,
Love covered a lot of ground, including signs that may indicate it’s time for
a person to give up driving. “Physical

limitations that make it difficult to turn
the steering wheel, step on the brake or
turn your head to see what’s behind
you or in the next lane are the types of
things that indicate it’s time to stop
driving,” she said. “Cognitive limitations can also be warning signs that a
person should no longer be operating a
motor vehicle.”
Love then described five types of
cognitive limitations, beginning with
strategic errors like getting lost in
familiar areas. “Needing a co-pilot
while driving is another warning sign,”
she added. “A co-pilot is not the same
as a navigator who gives you street
directions. A co-pilot is the person you
rely on to give you instructions on how
to drive.”
Driving in an unsafe manner– like
moving at 15 miles per hour on the
freeway while cars around you are
traveling at 60 miles per hour, or driving much too fast on surface streets– is
another warning sign, according to
Love. “Tactical errors like moving into
the wrong lane or ignoring signs and
traffic signals can also indicate it’s time
to stop driving,” she said. “Operational
problems like confusing the brake and
gas pedal or not signaling before a turn
are also warning signs.”
Major or minor accidents were the
last indicators described by Love. She
noted that many minor accidents are
never reported, and seniors have a tendency to not disclose them to their
family members.
“A one-time offense in any of these
arenas might not warrant the end of

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driving, but frequent mistakes do,”
Love stressed. “You need to ride as a
passenger in the older person’s car to
observe their driving behavior to determine whether there is a decline in driving ability.”
Love then focused on the drivingretirement decision, which must happen if a friend or family member
believes that an older person needs to
quit driving. “You need to get consensus from other family members,
including the spouse of the older
driver,” she said. “Don’t accost the person or make demands. Speak reasonably. Bring up medical issues if there
are any, and get a doctor to talk to the
person or write them a letter urging
them to quit driving.”
Love also warned the approximately 110 people in attendance that
transitioning from driving to non-driving is a very difficult experience. “You
need to find out what are the transportation options available to them before
you have the driving-retirement discussion,” she said. “You need to let them
know you are not limiting them but
transitioning them into other forms of
transportation.”
Hsu agreed. “One thing that has not
changed is that whether you’re a
teenager or a person in their 80s, car
keys represent freedom,” he said. “Taking away a person’s car keys is not an
easy thing to do.”
The CHP officer stressed that most
car accidents happen within two miles
of a driver’s home, so thinking that it’s
okay for an impaired driver to make
short trips is false security. “Keep in
mind that our ability to perceive a hazard and our ability to react to it take
longer as we get older,” he said. “One
thing older drivers should do is slow
down and increase the distance between
their car and the car in front of them.”
Noting that Love had covered most

of the points he planned to make, Hsu
talked briefly about other things seniors
can do to improve their ability to drive.
“They should have their eyes checked
regularly because vision can decline
rapidly in older people,” he said. “They
should also take senior yoga classes or
other exercise classes that will increase
their mobility. If you cannot turn to look
at what’s next to you or behind you
because of a stiff neck or stiff back, you
are placing yourself and others in danger.”
The last speaker, Wrenn, spoke for
about 15 minutes on the transportation
options available through Los Angeles
County Access, and other transportation
providers in the county and nearby
counties. “Anyone who cannot ride
fixed-route transportation (public transit
like bus or light rail) because of physical
or cognitive limitations qualifies for
transportation through Access,” he said.
“We service all of Los Angeles County,
and we mirror fixed-route buses and rail
service within three-quarters of a mile.”
Wrenn also encouraged seniors and
their family members and friends to call
his office for help in arranging transportation through various other organizations and agencies throughout
southern California and anywhere else
in the U.S.
During the question-and-answer
period that followed the panelists’ presentations, Love noted that AARP,
AAA and several other organizations
provide mature-driver improvement
classes designed to help seniors overcome driving problems that they did not
have in their younger years.
MORE INFORMATION
Access Services– (213) 270-6066
Volunteer Driver Program at JCC–
(562) 506-2801 ext. 1514
cpalzer@alpertjcc.org

ST3443 - March 29_Layout 1 3/29/13 11:50 AM Page 3

NEWS

MARCH 29, 2013

SIGNAL TRIBUNE

Police seeking information on north LB shooting that
left 10-year-old boy in ‘critical but stable condition’

3

MEET AND EAT
What Bixby Knolls Supper Club
Who Hosted by the Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association
Where Georgie’s Place, 3850 Atlantic Ave.
When Monday, April 1 at 6:30pm
More Info Bixby Knolls Supper Club promotes the concept of supporting local restaurants on Monday night, which are typically slow.
Residents are invited to meet, eat and support the local economy.
RSVP required. Email supperclub@bixbyknollsinfo.com .
STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS
What Small-business seminar
Who Sponsored by The State Board of Equalization
Where LBCC’s Community Multi-purpose Room, 4901 E. Carson St.
When Thursday, April 4 from 8:30am to 4pm
More Info Seminar will cover topics from permit-holder training,
audit and compliance issues, employment taxes to business marketing. Visit boe.ca.gov/sutax/sbf.htm .

Courtesy LBPD

Surveillance video from a gas station at Del Amo and Long Beach boulevards showing male subjects who were involved in
a scuffle on March 22 that led to the shooting of a 10-year-old boy and another innocent bystander
Sean Belk
Staff Writer

Police are seeking information
about a shooting in north Long Beach
last Friday, March 22 that involved
gunfire striking two innocent
bystanders, including a 10-year-old
boy who remains in “critical but stable condition.”
At about 8pm, a dispute between
male subjects broke out, escalating
into shots being fired at a gas station
at Del Amo and Long Beach boulevards, said Nancy Pratt, spokesperson
for the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD). The boy was reportedly struck by gunfire in the back
while sitting in a vehicle with his parents at the gas station.
The boy’s parents rushed him to
the North Patrol Substation, located at
4891 Atlantic Ave. Police then transported the boy to a local hospital,
where he received medical attention.
Pratt said a second victim later arrived
at the hospital, sustaining what
appeared to be “nonlife-threatening
injuries.” Pratt did not release any further information about the second victim but said, however, that both were
innocent bystanders.
On Monday, March 25, regarding
the boy’s condition, she said, “We’re
keeping our fingers crossed that he is
going to fully recover from this incident.”
Pratt also said LBPD had not
apprehended any suspects. The LBPD
recently released video surveillance
footage captured at the gas station and
continues to seek the public’s help in
providing information about the incident.
Eighth District Long Beach City
Councilmember Al Austin, who
spoke to the boy’s father at the hospital less than 12 hours after the shooting, confirmed on Monday that the
boy is expected to recover. Austin
added, “One of the first things out of
his son’s mouth this morning was,
‘Did they catch the guy who did this
to [me]?’
The incident is one of four separate shootings that occurred in Long
Beach last week.
The first shooting occurred in the
1st Council District last Monday,
March 18, at approximately 6:30pm
when officers were dispatched to the
area of 8th Street and Main Avenue.
After an officer made initial contact
with a male Hispanic subject, the suspect fled on foot and began firing
rounds from a handgun at the officer.
Patrol units secured the perimeter for
nearly three days before detectives,
on Thursday, March 21, were able to
identify and arrest 24-year-old Juan

Carlos Vasquez, a Long Beach resident and known gang member who
was booked for attempted murder of
a police officer and is being held
without bail.
The second shooting to occur in
Long Beach was in the 8th Council
District. On Thursday, at approximately 10:40pm, an officer-involved
shooting occurred in the 4500 block
of Orange Avenue, which stemmed
from the investigation of a robbery
that occurred on Monday. According
to LBPD, robbery detectives began
investigating and working with north
division patrol officers to identify a
possible suspect. Through their ongoing efforts, a suspect was identified. A
patrol officer working the case with
the detectives then attempted to detain
the suspect, however, the suspect fled
from the officer on foot. As the officer
began running after him, believing the
suspect was armed based on the overt
actions made by the suspect, the officer discharged his firearm, according
to LBPD. The suspect was struck by
gunfire and transported to a local hospital where he is listed in “stable condition.” The officer was not injured
during the incident and no gun was
found at the scene. The suspect has
been identified as 39-year-old Long
Beach resident Matthew Frushon,
who is facing charges of robbery and
assault with a deadly weapon. The
Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office is conducting an independent investigation of the shooting,
as they do with all officer-involved
shootings that occur in Los Angeles
County that result in injury or death,
according to LBPD.
Lastly, a shooting occurred on
Sunday, March 24, at approximately
11pm, in the 9th Council District in
the area of 69th Street and Long
Beach Boulevard, which resulted in
the death of a male adult. When officers arrived, they discovered the victim, identified as 37-year-old Rogelio
Aguirre-Lopez of Compton, down on
the ground. Aguirre-Lopez was pronounced deceased at the scene. Witnesses informed officers that the
suspect was still in the area, and officers were directed to a nearby apartment complex where they took the
suspect into custody, according to
LBPD. Based on the preliminary
investigation, it was determined there
had been a dispute between the suspect and the victim, who is the stepfather of the suspect, which resulted in
the shooting. The suspect has been
identified as 19-year-old Joel Torres of
Long Beach. He has been booked for
murder and is being held at the Long
Beach city jail on $1 million bail.

In light of the recent shootings,
Councilmember Austin said more
funds should be spent on public safety
to ensure the LBPD has enough
resources and personnel to combat
what appears to be a surge in gunrelated, violent crimes.
“The general perception out there
is that there is an increase [in violent
crime],” he said. “We’ve seen a number of shootings recently, and I’m
obviously very concerned about that,
not only about my district but
throughout the city. I think it’s going
to be up to the City Council to take
some serious decisive action toward
public-safety funding in this next
round of budget negotiations… I’d
like to see some funding restored,
especially for our gang enforcement
units.”
Austin added that many of the
incidents “could be avoided” if there
were more programs to deter young
people from becoming involved in
crime and gangs.
“Anytime you have a shooting or
gun play in my district or anywhere in
our city, one shooting is one too
many,” he said. “I think we need to be
smart with our public-safety
recourses, but also doing all we can to
get guns off the streets and to educate
the community about the perils of gun
violence.”
He also said that the LBPD has
recently reopened the north patrol
substation for a set schedule of hours
four days a week after being closed
or opened intermittently for the past
several years. The front desk at the
substation is now staffed Tuesday
through Friday from noon to 5pm.
“That’s a start,” Austin said.
“Obviously, I would like to have our
police station as a resource 24 hours
a day, because of events just like the
one that happened the other night and
so someone can be there and respond
to emergency situations in the north
Long Beach area. But right now there
are set hours for the north Long Beach
police station.”
Among the services now available
to residents at north division during
the hours they are open are filing and
receiving police reports and issuing
garage-sale permits, in addition to any
other service for which residents may
need law enforcement.
Those with information regarding
the shooting at Del Amo and Long
Beach boulevards or those who recognize witnesses in the video are asked
to contact Detective Jessie Fragoso at
(562) 570-7370. The video may be
viewed at youtube.com/watch?v=
vawrna6ILc8&feature=player_embed
ded .

MEET YOUR CITY AUDITOR
What Community meeting
Who North Long Beach Community Action Group
Where North Division Police Substation, 4891 Atlantic Ave.
When Sunday, April 7 from 2pm to 4pm
More Info During this event, Long Beach City Auditor Laura Doud
will provide a presentation on her office and two audits, including
one for business licenses and nonprofit Partners of Parks, which help
secure corporate funding for parks in Long Beach. To RSVP, call
(562) 428-7710.

AN UNPROHIBITED DISCUSSION
What Book talk
Who El Dorado Neighborhood Library
Where 2900 Studebaker Rd.
When Saturday, April 13 at 10:30am
More Info Claudine Burnett, local historian and author, will introduce her new book, Prohibition Madness: Life and Death in and
around Long Beach, California, 1920-1933. Light refreshments will
be provided. Call (562) 570-3136 or visit lbpl.org .

FA-LA-LAAAA
What LA Opera Series
Who LA Opera and the El Dorado Neighborhood Library
Where El Dorado Neighborhood Library, 2900 Studebaker Rd.
When Saturday, April 13 at 2pm
More Info The LA Opera Lecture Series will provide insightful talks
that address history, literature, philosophy and fine arts within the
context of opera. LA Opera’s Community Educators and a team of
trained volunteer experts will present. The LA Opera offers a chance
for attendees to be entered into a drawing for an opera-related gift to
be given out at the end of the presentation. Call (562) 570-3136.

STATE OF YOUR HEALTH
What Community forum
Who Sponsored by 5th District Councilmember Gerrie Schipske
Where Houssels Forum at Long Beach Memorial, 2801 Atlantic Ave.
When Monday, April 15 at 5pm
More Info Councilmember Gerrie Schipske, State of California
Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones and U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services Region 9 Director Herb K. Schultz will examine The Affordable Care Act and its effects on Long Beach. Call
(562) 570-6932.

With last week’s Wednesday officially the
first day of spring, I find it necessary to declare, “Spring is
in the air!”
Whether you celebrate the beginning of the season in a
secular or non-secular fashion, it is most certainly a time to
enjoy the beauty around us. Flowers are blooming (unfortunately, so are allergies), little girls are donning their Easter
finery, picnics and other outdoor events are plentiful, and the
weather is generally mild and enjoyable.
My fondest memory of this time of the year was the
Easter gathering we attended with a group of some of my
parents’ closest friends– the Smirniotis family. When I was
13, Dad drove Mom and me to a large park in Irvine to celebrate Easter with what could only be described as an enormous Greek-style family reunion hosted by George and

OPINION

Alice Smirniotis. I will never forget my surprise at seeing a
full-sized lamb being cooked over an open fire. Until then,
my only experience with rotisserie-style food had been
chickens I had seen cooking in a grocery store or restaurant.
The food smelled and tasted amazing, and I had a ball visiting and having fun with the dozens of folks in attendance.
Of course there were music and dancing to add to the festivities!
Fast-forward nearly 40 years. While dining with Steve a
few years back, I casually mentioned the event to the owner
of the restaurant– a lady named Tina Lilis (she owns The
Pizza Place down on Broadway in Long Beach), her eyes
started to tear up and she whispered gently to me, saying that
she is the daughter of George and Alice. I couldn’t believe
what I was hearing. I then remembered playing with the two
daughters named Tina and Nikki (not sure of the spelling–
sorry). Although they were a few years younger than I, we
had spent many occasions playing together at their various
family functions– weddings, baptisms, etc. In fact, her Uncle
Steve had given me my first job at 15 years of age working

MARCH 29, 2013

for him and his wife Sandy at their fast-food place called
Wimpy’s located over on Long Beach Boulevard.
A year or two later, I again was sharing my memories of
that Easter picnic, this time with Jack Skandalakis, the
owner of Café Bixby. He gave me a huge smile and declared
that he had been there, too! It was the first outing he had
attended since coming to America from Greece at 18 years
old– just a week earlier! I couldn’t believe it. What a small
world!
Earlier this week I was again telling the story and bragging to Jimmy at Big E Pizza in Signal Hill that Easter will
be the 45th anniversary of meeting Jack Skandalakis. Imagine my shock when Jimmy disclosed that he too had been at
that very same picnic. He laughed at the look on my face and
remarked that he was only 2 years old at the time and had
been baptized just nine months earlier!
With this story now told, I say spring may be full of new
beginnings, but for me it is also a time to reflect on years
gone by and the many relationships we have forged no matter the season.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Time to backpedal?

The (approved?) bike infrastructure plan seems to be a solution to a problem that does
not exist. Everyone living in Bixby Knolls can see that our streets, parks [and] wetlands
are already used extensively by bicyclists, joggers, strollers, picnickers, school groups and
nature enthusiasts. And why do they come here? Could it be because there is easy access
to our neighborhood, plenty of parking, safe streets and the most tranquil environment
available in Long Beach? And the residents– are they really complaining because they
don’t have bike lanes that lead directly to our fabulous retail establishments on Atlantic
Avenue? I don’t think so.
Meaning that the people pushing through this lousy plan are pretty much taking their
lead from the Army Corps of Engineers who never saw a river that wouldn’t be oh-so
much better with a dam no matter what its ultimate impact. And I’m afraid that that’s
exactly the type of thinking we are about to experience when we install
unwanted/unneeded bike lanes, traffic signals and roundabouts. Once we remove enough
parking spaces, add enough bike lanes and traffic signals and ramp up the use of our neighborhood, we will have damaged the very things that made it so attractive to the residents
and visitors in the first place.
Not only that, but their stated objective, make it safer for bicyclists, is a fabrication–
there is not one major study that shows designated bicycle lanes improve safety (bicycleinfo.org, bicycledriving.org). Quite the opposite– bicycle lanes, like crosswalks, often give
riders a false sense of security and can lull riders into dangerous situations.
And all this approved by the majority of our residents? The 69 percent of the 130 who
attended a (secret) meeting and approved the plan– 89.7 people– represent a majority of
the approximately 4,600 residents of Bixby Knolls? Less than 2 percent speak for the majority? Try sending every household a mail-in ballot, and see how the residents really feel.
So leave Bixby Knolls as it is– a pleasant, quiet neighborhood not compromised by
unnecessary/unwanted bicycle lanes, traffic signals and roundabouts.
Alex Victor
Long Beach

Survey says...

Sean Belk’s March 22 article about the planned changes for the streets of the Los Cerritos neighborhood reflects the line that Dave Roseman’s office disseminates. The City only puts out one side of the
picture. I would hope a follow-up article will reflect the more public opinion.
At the January 9 community meeting, Mr. Roseman solely informed residents of the changes we
could expect. It was not a dialogue. It was not an “outreach” as staffer [Long Beach transportation planner Steve] Tweed calls it; it was an announcement of agenda.
The attendees at that January 9 meeting were handed a survey form that did not record residence
area. Many of the attendees were not residents of Los Cerritos or Wrigley Heights, where the meeting
was not widely known, but were bicycle enthusiasts who heard about the meeting through their associations. The survey questions were slanted; the results open to interpretation.
Please, Mr. Belk, walk the neighborhood. Contact the Los Cerritos Neighborhood Association and
the residents of Wrigley Heights. Talk with the people who live here. You are not getting a balanced
picture from City employees. Many residents of Mr. Johnson’s 7th District have expressed strong opposition to the planned traffic signal at Wardlow and Pacific.
Mimi Fox
Long Beach

Mea Culpa

In an article and a photo caption for the story titled
“TV show Bar Rescue renames and makes over cantina located in both
Signal Hill and Long Beach” in the March 22 issue of the Signal Tribune,
the establishment’s owner should have been identified as Lona Lee.

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are statements of fact. Letter-writers will be identified by their professional titles or affiliations when, and only when, the editorial staff deems it relevant and/or to provide context to the letter. We do not run letters
to the editor submitted by individuals who have declared their candidacies for public office in upcoming races. This policy was put in place because, to be fair, if we publish one, we would have to publish all letters submitted
by all candidates. The volume would no doubt eliminate space for letters submitted by other readers. Instead, we agree to interview candidates and print stories about political races in an objective manner and offer very reasonable advertising rates for those candidates who wish to purchase ads. The Signal Tribune is published each Friday with a circulation of 25,000. Yearly subscriptions are available for $45.

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www.signaltribune.com newspaper@signaltribune.com

ST3443 - March 29_Layout 1 3/29/13 11:50 AM Page 5

MARCH 29, 2013

U.S. Postal Service to close mail-processing
center in Long Beach by this summer
Sean Belk
Staff Writer

As part of ongoing cutbacks to
postal services, the United States
Postal Service (USPS) plans to close
the mail-processing center at 2300
Redondo Ave. in Long Beach and
consolidate the operations with a
facility in Los Angeles by this summer, said Richard Maher, spokesperson for USPS in Los Angeles and
Orange counties.
The Redondo Avenue facility,
which serves Signal Hill and Long
Beach residents and businesses, is one
of 140 mail-processing centers across
the country that the USPS has identified for consolidation. USPS officials
have said the consolidations are due
to declining first-class mail volumes
caused by online transactions, rising
retiree-benefit costs and diminishing
revenue.
After Congress failed to pass legislation last year to stave off cuts, the
USPS decided in May 2012 that it
was going forward with the cost-cutting measures.
Phase 1 of consolidations that
started last summer were expected to
resume in February after being halted
last September due to the November
elections and the holiday mailing season, Maher said.
An official date of when the Long
Beach facility will be consolidated,
however, has not yet been set, he said.
“We never had a date set for Long
Beach and still don’t,” Maher said.
He added that the USPS is
required to notify employees 90 days
in advance of any action that may
impact employment. “We have begun
talking to employees, and we’re anticipating this [consolidation] happening
this summer,” Maher said.
No additional community meetings are scheduled since the publicreview process in anticipation of the
mail-processing center’s closure has
already been completed, he said.

“We’ve been pretty transparent,”
Maher said.
Plans call for consolidating mailprocessing operations in Long Beach
with the Los Angeles facility located
at 7001 S. Central Ave. The consolidation will be similar to the processing
plant in Pasadena that was consolidated with Los Angeles last year.
USPS officials estimate that combining the Long Beach processing and
distribution services with Los Angeles
will save the USPS more than $16
million annually, resulting in the
reduction of nearly 600 postal-service
positions. Maher said USPS employees are expected to either retire or
move to other positions, such as mailcarrying, adding that the USPS has
already reduced its workforce by more
than 140,000 employees over the last
four years through attrition.
While mail-processing will be
consolidated, the post office on
Redondo Avenue that offers P.O.
box services, bulk business mail
drop-off and retail services, such as
postage sales and money orders, will
remain open, Maher said.
The USPS, however, has not
determined the long-term future of
the property on Redondo Avenue, he
added. Maher said plans could
involve relocating the facility, subdividing the property or moving in
other operations.
The USPS, meanwhile, is implementing other cost-cutting measures
in addition to the consolidations.
Last year, the USPS decided to
make changes to first-class mail
service in which mail delivered outside of a specific service area
arrives in two days rather than
overnight. In February, the USPS
announced plans to stop mail delivery on Saturdays, a new delivery
schedule effective Aug. 5 that
would generate cost savings of
approximately $2 billion once fully
implemented. ß

NEWS

SIGNAL TRIBUNE

5

Federal ‘sequester’ may spell more cutbacks for
LBUSD and less grants, financial aid for colleges

Sean Belk
Staff Writer

Though Congress has passed a continuing resolution, signed by President
Barack Obama on Tuesday, March 26,
that extends federal spending through
Sept. 30 and prevents a government shutdown, the so-called “sequester” that calls
for slashing federal programs, including
those for education, so far remains in
place.
The more than 5-percent, across-theboard cuts likely stand to curtail funding
for educational programs throughout the
United States in the 2013-2014 school
year, particularly reducing money for
early childhood and special education,
scaling back the eligibility for university
grants and trimming certain college-student financial-aid programs.
Although things could change as the
President outlines a budget plan in the
next few weeks, education departments
across the country are bracing to receive a
total cutback of $2.6 billion, according to
education officials.
In California, public schools anticipate
losing a total of about $87.6 million in federal funding for primary and secondary
education, according to the nonprofit
Organizing For Action (OFA), an advocacy group formed out of the Obama election campaign that is rallying residents in
an effort to repeal sequestration.
The Long Beach OFA Neighborhood
Team, which consists of about 75 local
residents from the greater Long Beach
area, gathered last Friday, March 22 in
front of Buffum Total Learning Center, a
former elementary-school campus that
now provides early-childhood and special-education services.
“We know that this is a bad decision
because research shows that for every dollar we invest in early-childhood education
can save us more than $7 later by boosting
graduation rates, reducing teen pregnancy
rates and even reducing incidents of violent crime in our community,” said Uduak
Ntuk, a petroleum engineer for the City of
Long Beach, who is leading the local
“super chapter.”

Sean Belk/Signal Tribune

Uduak Ntuk, leader of the Long Beach chapter of Organizing For Action, a political
action group formed out of the Obama election campaign, speaks during a demonstration with about 25 other members of the group at Buffum Total Learning Center
in Long Beach in a call to repeal federal sequestration.
Long Beach Unified School District
(LBUSD) is expecting to be hit with a
nearly $3.5-million annual reduction of
federal funding, according to Chris Eftychiou, LBUSD spokesperson. He said the
school district is expected to receive about
$800,000 less in federal special-education
funding after slashing the school district’s
annual $15.5 million in annual federal
special-education funding by the more
than 5-percent, across-the-board cut.
Eftychiou added, however, that the
reduction is just a “subset” of the entire
amount of sequestration cuts and the
school district has yet to determine how
much special education would be
impacted.
“How these cuts would be implemented remains to be seen, so it would be
difficult to say exactly how it might
impact specific special-education services,” he said. “We do not yet know the
specificity on how these reductions might
play out.”
Eftychiou said the school board will
look at sequester cuts in the context of the
entire LBUSD budget, which is due by
June 30.

“Reductions that we’re making in one
area of our budget may help to soften the
blow of reductions (including sequester
reductions) elsewhere in the budget,” he
said. “Special education, for instance, has
long encroached upon our general fund
because the state and federal governments
provide insufficient funds to cover the true
costs of those programs. So a cut in special-education funds may not necessarily
mean a reduction in service. It could
instead mean further encroachment on the
general fund. Of course, that means that
you have to cut something else out of your
general fund to cover the encroachment.”
Felton Williams, LBUSD board
member, said some of the cuts might
include less funding for professional
development, reduced non-instructional
services such as health guidance,
increased class sizes and potential impacts
to federal construction bonds that would
affect the school district’s bond rating. He
also mentioned, however, that there may
be the potential to use state categorical
funds to provide some “flexibility” in
making the cuts.

see SEQUESTER page 7

Celebrating over 25 years in business!

ST3443 - March 29_Layout 1 3/29/13 11:50 AM Page 6

NEWS

6 SIGNAL TRIBUNE

Experts discuss possibilities of new park
development in LB, other ‘compact’ cities
Sean Belk
Staff Writer

Although Long Beach spans 50
square miles, the highly populated and
densely built-out city has a disproportionate amount of park space that continues to be edged out by commercial
and residential development, according
to local experts.
Some parts of the city, such as the
east side, which contains the 450-acre
El Dorado Park, have a healthy amount
of open space and recreational land in
comparison to the amount of surrounding residents. Yet other areas, such as
the west side, are considered “parkpoor” and have only one acre of parks
per every 1,000 residents.
Efforts are afoot, however, to turn
that ratio around by forming partnerships between a wide-ranging cross section of groups, from government

officials, business representatives, community members and city planners to
designers, nonprofits and policy makers. The goal is to develop creative
ways to make park space more a part of
daily life for all residents alike.
A group of experts specializing in
different fields, from policy and city
management to design and land-use
planning presented various open-space
projects in Long Beach and other cities
during a panel discussion on Monday,
March 5 titled “Park Development In
Compact Cities” at the Rooftop Solarium of the Willmore Building in downtown Long Beach.
The Los Angeles Chapter of the
United States Building Council, the
national nonprofit organization known
for developing the Leadership, Energy
and Environmental Design building rating system, organized the event.
Panelists included: Melani Smith,
principal of Melendrez Design Partners
and Long Beach planning commissioner; Phil Hester, former director of
the Long Beach Parks, Recreation &
Marine Department; and Ata Ul Malik
Khan, program manager for the Harbor
Community Benefit Foundation. Brian
Ulaszewski, a local architect and executive director of nonprofit design studio
City Fabrick, moderated the event.
Hester, who was called a “magician” when it comes to finding new
park space in Long Beach during the 12
years he led the City’s parks, recreation
and marine department, presented concepts on the Long Beach RiverLink, a
program of the San Pedro Bay Estuary
Project that strings 265 acres worth of
park developments along a portion of
the Los Angeles River from Queensway
Bay to the Artesia Freeway.
The plan, which was launched as an
update to the City’s Open Space Master
Plan, is considered a major step toward
adding park space to areas of Long
Beach that are lacking recreational land
use, he said.
“As a part of the evaluation we did
of all the park properties, it was very
obvious the west side, central and north

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK

Join us
for
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Courtesy Port of Los Angeles

The 30-acre Wilmington Waterfront Park was opened in 2011 as a “buffer” between terminal expansion in the Port of Los
Angeles and nearby neighborhoods.

Long Beach were very park-poor,” Hester said. “We have all these parks on the
east side of town, but from the standpoint of the central, west and north
Long Beach, you have about one acre
per thousand [residents]… That’s a
dense part of the city.”
Park space, including trees and
foliage, often lowers ambient temperatures through shade, resulting in less
energy usage and a more “beautiful,
comfortable city” that attracts business
and shoppers, while also catching particulate matter and increasing oxygen,
according to presentation materials.
Hester said the RiverLink project
also involves: adding greenbelts; constructing pedestrian walkways that link
roads, bike paths and riverbanks; and
building a nature center at DeForest
Park. “We have a really nice El Dorado
Nature Center… we need a nature center on the L.A. River,” he said.
Smith, meanwhile, revealed plans
from her design firm for new park
development over the 134 Freeway in
Glendale, which she said suffers from
the same lack of open space as Long
Beach.
The project, called Space 134,
includes building a “green loop” with
five acres of new open space in the next
one to five years and eventually build-

A project called Space 134 being proposed in Glendale includes building a “green
loop” with five acres of new open space in the next five years and eventually building 28 acres of “animated” open space in the next two decades, complete with a
nature garden, trails, playfields and an outdoor theater, also creating potential
for economic development.

ing 28 acres of “animated” open space
in the next two decades, complete with
a nature garden, trails, playfields and an
outdoor theater, also creating potential
for economic development.
Experts also touched on using park
space as a “buffer” to air quality and
noise pollution caused by industrial
development and port expansion. Khan
presented an overview of the 30-acre,
more than $77-million Wilmington
Waterfront Park, formerly known as
the Harry Bridges Boulevard Buffer
Project.
Some architects consider the park,
which was opened in 2011, as a West
Coast version of New York’s High
Line that turned an abandoned rail line
into an innovative park development.
The Wilmington park exists
between the unincorporated area and
the Port of Los Angeles and was
developed as an alterative to creating
a 20-foot-high, one-mile wall to block
pollution from terminal expansion,
Khan said.
He added that the park project was
developed through local environmental activism that forced the Port to create a harbor community mitigation
trust fund that became the basis for a
community-benefits foundation.
“Already, while there still is more

activity in the distance, the immediate
surrounding community [doesn’t have
to] wake up every morning with the site
of the port everyday. They have a place
to play, and it’s used very heavily every
day,” Khan said.
Ulaszewski, who designed the
Armory Park at Martin Luther King Jr.
Ave., Alamitos Avenue and 6th Street,
also used the event to reveal a new proposal being developed by City Fabrick
to create a buffer to a proposed railyard project, known as the Southern
California International Gateway
(SCIG).
The park project, being called
“The Yards,” has various different
alternatives, but, in general, proposes
to create 350 acres worth of park
space situated between railroad systems, adjacent to the Terminal Island
Freeway, near an intermodal container
transfer facility and underneath
Southern California Edison power
lines.
The SCIG project that was
approved by the Los Angeles Harbor
Commission and is being proposed by
the Burlington Northern Santa Fe
Railway has received heavy criticism
from the Long Beach City Council
and various environmental groups
that have appealed the massive neardock facility, favoring on-dock rail
instead. Ulaszewski, however, said
the mitigation is needed regardless of
where rail expansion is located
because of increasing truck traffic. He
said the park proposal could be one
part of the solution.
“Even with the on-dock or off-dock,
there are still potential impacts that need
to be mitigated,” Ulaszewski said.
For more information on “The
Yards” proposal, visit cityfabrick.org .

EDCO services
not affected by
Cesar Chavez Day

There will be no delay in EDCO’s
waste- and recycling-collection services during the week of April 1 as a
result of Cesar Chavez Day. EDCO’s
customer service office will also
remain open. This includes Park Waste
and Recycling Services and Signal Hill
Waste and Recycling Services.
Source: EDCO

ST3443 - March 29_Layout 1 3/29/13 11:50 AM Page 7

MARCH 29, 2013

COMMUNITY

SIGNAL TRIBUNE

Signal Hill resident’s new business aims to advocate
for individuals through various bureacratic processes

Signal Hill resident Robert
Schlesinger this month launched
Advocates In Action, a business
which aims to assist seniors, intellectually or physically disabled
persons and single parents in California with challenges they may
face while trying to secure muchneeded medical or governmental
services.
Schlesinger developed the concept for his new advocacy business as a result of successfully
navigating California’s bureaucratic medical and governmental
road blocks on his own behalf.
Schlesinger says that, for nearly
three decades, he has learned to
overcome obstacles and barriers
he has confronted as a result of
being born with mild cerebral
palsy. Conquering battles with
teachers, physicians, government
officials and government services,
he has triumphed on nearly every
front, including obtaining his own
early Social Security benefit,
according to Schlesinger, and he
now seeks to share his experience
to help others in need.
“I’ve been a self-advocate all
of my adult life, and now I’m
thrilled to be in a position to put
my experience to good use in helping others get the results they need
in a faster and more efficient manner,” Schlesinger said. “As your
advocate, we help you clear hurdles or power through the brick
walls you’re experiencing in government or medical environments
and empower you to build relationships with these professionals,
who can be indifferent or even

intimidating and cause
you to lose hope. We
help relieve the stress
of paperwork and get
answers for you as you
learn how to get the
necessary services you
need to live a full and
functional life moving
forward.”
A native of Long
Beach and current resident of Signal Hill,
Schlesinger says working with Advocates In
Action begins with a
free,
no-obligation
consultation to assess a
potential client’s needs
and goals. Once on
board, clients will be in
contact with Advocates
on a regular basis,
including weekly or asneeded counseling sessions around key and
related issues, according to
Schlesinger. Should the advocate
discover a need for additional
counseling for other reasons,
clients will be provided with an
appropriate referral.
While Advocates In Action can
help individuals with an array of
issues, the company specializes in
insurance and Medi-Cal, Social
Security benefits and case management, placement in assistedliving or skilled-nursing facilities,
general medical-case management, and patient-care issues.
Advocates In Action also will
offer educational-advocacy services, helping the disabled who are

As part of April’s Distracted Driving Awareness Month campaign, the
Signal Hill Police Department
(SHPD) will be ticketing those texting or operating hand-held cell
phones during the month of April,
according to the department. Drivers
who break the law and place themselves and others in danger will be
cited with no warnings. The current
minimum ticket cost is $159, with

subsequent tickets costing at least
$279.
Last April, more than 57,000 tickets were written statewide for texting
and hand-held cell use. There were
nearly 450,000 convictions in 2012.
“We all know that talking on our
cell phones while driving is distracting, but that doesn’t stop some people
from continuing to do it,” said Signal
Hill Police Department Chief

Langston “This effort is intended to
educate our community about the
dangers of cell-phone use while
driving. We hope that once people
see the statistics and realize the danger involved, they will change their
driving habits to help protect themselves, their families, and others on
the road.”

continued from page 5

Cuts to other critical Department of
Education Title III and Title V programs
(e.g., Hispanic-Serving and Strengthening Institutions programs) that ensure a
pipeline to success for first-generation
and under-represented minority students
could see a reduction amounting to
more than one-half million dollars
across the CSU.
Cal State Long Beach President F.
King Alexander, who was selected this
week as the new president of Louisiana
State University, said in a prepared
statement that his primary concern
about cuts to university research pro-

grams, student financial aid and other
services is the potential ripple effect it
may have on the state’s economic
growth.
“The governor’s budget is predicated on the basis that our economy
is beginning to grow,” he said.
“Sequestration could shatter that
economic scenario and push California back toward recession-era budget
cuts. If this were to happen, Governor
Brown’s efforts to provide moderate
and gradual re-investments in our universities could fail to become a reality.” ß

Rob Schlesinger

transitioning from high school to
college, or guiding parents through
the individualized education program (IEP) process to secure contracts for their child’s services.
“Our advocates are here to
assist individuals in every way
possible,” Schlesinger said. “We
want to build confidence with
those involved that their needs are
being addressed, and at the same
time empower them by teaching
the necessary skills to navigate
and become self-advocates should
similar issues occur in the future.”

SHPD to take part in Distracted
Driving Awareness Month campaign

Sequester

“It’s a special hit for us to try to absorb
that cost, and I’m not quite sure how
we’re going to do it,” he said. “We can
find other ways to get around it by covering certain items in the budget and
moving certain programs around.”
Long Beach City College (LBCC),
which has already cut 11 career/technical
disciplines due to state budget cuts, is
expected to receive a cut of $58,000 in
federal funding for student financial-aid
programs, said Mark Taylor, spokesperson for LBCC. He said funding for
opportunity grants are to be reduced by
$42,772, or approximately 7 percent,
while work-study funding would be cut
by about 2 percent, or $14,732.
The California State University
(CSU) system may also be impacted.
Under sequestration, the CSU currently
anticipates federal funding reductions in
excess of $22 million for fiscal year
2013. While the Pell program is exempt
from sequestration, programs subject to
the cuts include campus-based aid programs, aid to minority-serving institutions, TRIO and GEAR UP, which are
pipeline programs for CSU students.
In addition, supplemental educational
opportunity grants (SEOG) and workstudy programs are to lose up to $1.5
million, eliminating awards for more
than 1,400 students.
Funding for improving teacher quality and reforming teacher preparation
will be cut almost half a million dollars
at the CSU, slowing the pace of
improvement and innovation.

“heading out” on a bike ride?
Protect that noggin with a helmet!
A r eminDer from the signAL t riBune

SIGNAL TRIBUNE’S FOCUS

ON

BUSINESS

Name of Business: Catalano's Pizza (Family-owned/operated)
Address: 1178 East Carson Street | Phone: (562) 424-8646
Hours: Sunday-Thursday 11am - 9pm, Friday & Saturday 11am - 10pm
What type of business: Pizza Restaurant
How long in business: 19 years; new ownership since Nov. 1, 2011
What do you want your customers to know?
Every pizza is made the old-fashioned way:
hand-rolled and tossed to-order, topped with
the freshest ingredients available, and then
baked in a Bakers Pride stone oven. Our dough
is made from scratch daily from the finest flour
available, and our cheese is top quality whole
milk mozzarella. One bite and you'll
taste the diﬀerence!
Social Networks: Facebook, Yelp

On the same day this week that
the United States Supreme Court
heard arguments regarding the constitutionality of California’s Proposition 8, Congressmember Alan
Lowenthal (CA-47) was displaying
the rainbow Pride flag outside his
Washington, D.C. and district
offices in support of LGBT Americans and marriage equality.
“My offices are flying the Pride
flag– proudly I might add– in solidarity with not only my LGBT constituents, but LGBT Americans
everywhere,” Lowenthal said.
According to the offices of the
Architect of the Capitol and the
House Historian, it is likely that
Lowenthal is the first member of
Congress to formally display a
Pride flag outside a Congressional
office. Members of Congress have
permanent fixtures outside each
office to accommodate three flags,
with two spaces going to the American flag and the member’s state
flag. The third slot is often used for
a personal selection of the Congressmember.

Lowenthal, whose district
includes one of the nation's largest
LGBT communities, has been an
advocate of marriage equality his
entire adult life, according to a press
release from his office.
“My office was told that we may
be the first to fly a Pride flag in the
Cannon House Office building– the
oldest of the House office buildings,” Lowenthal said. “I am honored to be the first, and I am certain
I will not be the last. Marriage
equality is a right– a right that
should be shared by everyone.
Whether our LGBT brothers and sisters have a constitutional right to
marry in the United States, let
alone in California, should not
even be in question. If flying the
Pride flag outside my office can
make one person stop and think
about the advancements that are
needed in our country, then that is
a victory.
“Proposition 8 and the Defense
of Marriage Act are oppressive and
regressive policies that label a
large group of my constituents as

second-class citizens and deny
hard-working Americans the freedom to love and marry whomever
they choose. It should not take a
Supreme Court Justice to prove
that love is love. My intention is to
fly this flag until marriage equality

Signal Hill Police Chief
Michael Langston has been
appointed to the State 9-1-1 Advi-

sory Board by Gov. Jerry Brown.
Langston’s appointment was
announced by the Governor’s
Press Office on March 20. The
board advises the California 9-1-1
Emergency
Communications
Office on matters pertaining to
policies, practices and procedures
for the California 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Office;
technical and operational standards for the California 9-1-1 system consistent with the National
Emergency Number Association
(NENA) standards; and on other
matters related to emergency
communications as well as promoting communications between
public-safety answering points
(PSAPS).
Langston is one of two representatives appointed by the Governor to the Advisory Board on
the recommendation of the California Police Chiefs Association.
The appointment is to a two-year
term that is unpaid and does not

require Senate confirmation. Langston was
already serving as the
Police
California
Chiefs Association’s
representative on the
Peace Officer Standards and Training
Public Safety Dispatcher
Advisory
Committee
(POST
PSDAC), a group of
PSAP professionals.
“I look forward to
serving on the State
9-1-1 Advisory Board,”
Langston said. “There
are many challenges that
our PSAPS are facing
and will be facing with
technology that is
Signal Hill Police Chief Michael Langston
changing right before
our eyes. We rely on
cellular telephones, text messag- we stay ahead of technology
ing and social media now more changes to ensure the reliability
than ever before. Hard lines are of our 9-1-1 systems.”
disappearing. It is important that Source: SHPD

The Signal Hill Chamber of
Commerce is seeking donations for
its booth at the upcoming Signal Hill
community garage sale in May.
Donations that are in good condition
may be dropped off at The Under-

bedding. towels, small kitchen items
and dishes.
Donations will be accepted
through April 29. For more information, call Shari Blackwell at (562)
426-8939.

The office of 6th District
Councilmember Dee Andrews is
conducting a book drive to benefit the students at Lincoln Elementary School.
Coined the AOC7 Book Drive
(which refers to the area that
includes Anaheim Avenue,
Orange Avenue, Cherry Avenue
and 7th Street), the book-collection event is the precursor to the
AOC7 Literacy Fair, which will
take place at MacArthur Park,
1321 E. Anaheim St. from 10am
to 1pm on Saturday, May 11. The
fair will include music, multicultural dances, literacy booths and
storytelling. Each child in attendance will receive free books to
encourage them to read throughout the summer vacation.
Donations accepted include
new or slightly used children
books, and the goal is to collect

500 of them by April 30.
Drop off locations are:

Courtesy Lowenthal’s office

Congressmember Alan Lowenthal (CA-47) says he is displaying the rainbow
Pride flag outside his Washington, D.C. and district offices until same-sex
marriage is legalized.

is the law of the land. Hopefully,
the Supreme Court will find both
Prop 8 and DOMA unconstitutional and resolve this issue once
and for all.”

SHPD chief appointed to State 9-1-1 Advisory Board

Beauty through the ages

Circa B.C.

MARCH 29, 2013

Circa 1950s

Circa 2013

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Source: Lowenthal’s office

Donations welcome for community fundraiser

First Friday Earth Month Silent Auction
Benefitting The Surf Rider Foundation
STOP BY AND PLACE YOUR BIDS FRIDAY APRIL 5TH
FROM 5:00PM – 8:00PM
GR EAT I TEM S FOR A GR EAT CA US E
CHECK US OUT ON FACEBOOK FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF ITEMS TO
BE ACUTIONED OFF

For more information, contact
the 6th District office at (562)
570-6816.

ST3443 - March 29_Layout 1 3/29/13 11:51 AM Page 9

MARCH 29, 2013
In Living Color
Springing into action to bring the season into (and outside of) your home

TAKE A SPRING BREAK

Shoshanah Siegel
Columnist

Spring is in the air.
Beautiful
flowers,
sunny skies, and billowy clouds– at least
for some of the country. No matter where you live, think
spring. This is a time to bring the season
into your home, inside and out, and from
top to bottom.

Spring cleaning
The cozy items we had for the winter
months can now be stored away. Look
for new ways to store and organize your
life. Remember the three Bs: baskets,
boxes and bowls. Spring cleaning can
also take place on the outside of your
home. This is the time of year when I
clean windows, get rid of spider webs,
and touch up paint if needed. No matter
what the season, painting the front door
is a great, inexpensive way to not only
liven up your porch; it can be easily
changed for a whole new look. Be sure
to greet your guests with pots full of
spring flowers and perhaps a wreath.

Nature-inspired color palettes
A gallon of paint is one of the cheapest ways to change a space and can be
easy enough to do yourself. Select colors that makes you feel happy; paint
an accent wall or the whole room. Is
there a color you have always wanted
to try? Now is the perfect time.

Be a wallflower
Are you a renter or afraid to commit
to wallpaper? Easily removable wallpapers can now be found through
quite a few companies. These include:
Sherwin Williams, Swag Paper, Tempaper, and Murals Your Way. They are
easy to apply and remove, and they
come in an array of colors, patterns,
and styles.

Stickers with style
Peel-and-stick wall decals are also in
abundance and provide fun graphics
for any theme or décor. This new
wave of decorating can be found at
many stores such as: Michaels,
Costco, Lowes, Home Depot, Target,
and the Dollar Tree. These decals are
great to dress up a headboard or other
furniture. Some decals even feature
romantic and inspirational phrases.

Pull the rug out from under you
Change out your rugs from dark,
cozy colors to lighter and brighter
ones. You can make the style and
color blend in with the rest of your
décor or find one that makes a bold
statement and is a conversation piece.
Don’t forget about your outdoor
spaces. These days, rugs are truly
indoor/outdoor and feature many
more patterns and colors. What a
great way to bring continuity of color
throughout your home.

Spring break
Your bedroom is the perfect place to
kick back and enjoy the season.
et
“A Gourmg
n
ti
if
G
& Bakingy”
Compan

The City of Signal Hill will host its Spring Fest 2013 on Saturday, March 30 from
9am to noon at Signal Hill Park, 2175 Cherry Ave.
Free activities will include egg hunts for children ages 4 to 10, a bunny trail for toddlers, an animal magic show and Signal Hill Police Department child identification
cards. A $2 wristband will allow children access to additional activities that include
train rides, crafts, games, bounce houses and a visit with the bunny.
The egg hunt schedule will be as follows: 9:30am for 4- and 5-year-olds; 10am for
6- and 7-year-olds; and 10:30am for 8-, 9- and 10-year-olds.
The free animal magic show will take place at 11am on the amphitheater stage.
Each child must bring his or her own basket or bag to gather eggs.
In the event of inclement weather, the event will be canceled. For more information,
contact the Community Services Department at (562) 989-7330.
Fourth District Councilmember Patrick O’Donnell will host a spring egg hunt on Saturday, March 30 at 10am at Los Altos Park, 5485 Stearns St. There will be activities for the
whole family to enjoy. For more information, call O’Donnell’s office at (562) 570-6918.
California Heights United Methodist Church and Children’s Center, 3759 Orange
Ave., will host an Easter event for children through 5th grade on Saturday, March 30
from 10am to noon.
The event will include an Easter-egg hunt, crafts, games, a visit with the Easter
Bunny, and more. Admission and activities are free. Children must be accompanied
by adults, who are encouraged to bring their cameras.
For more information, go to calheightsumc.org or call (562) 595-1996.

Shoshanah Siegel/Signal Tribune

The writer’s vintage five-finger vases, made in Portugal, are perfect when she only
has a few flowers to display.

Change out the look of your headboard by wrapping it with a yard of
floral fabric. Hang inexpensively
painted frames that feature a piece of
floral wallpaper, pressed green fern
leaves, or pictures of botanical art. To
add some reflection and glitz, paint
your furniture with metallic-colored
paint. For even more bling, apply
small mirrors to the front of your
drawers. Any botanical print can be
cut out and applied to furniture using
spray adhesives. Spray adhesives can
be found at any office-supply store,
home-improvement centers, and artsupply stores. Feel free to bring these
creative ideas to the rest of your home.
Depending on the season, one of my
white lamp shades in my living room
is forever changing. For spring, I have
adorned the shade with metallic-colored leaves I purchased from a local
arts-and-crafts store.

Flowers and fruit
This time of year the supply of fruit
and flowers is endless. Why not display a bowl of bright-green Granny
Smith apples on your coffee table, and
then bring this color into the fabric of
your pillows and other accessories.
Fruits such as kumquats or other hard
berries add a splash of color at the bottom of a vase. They also provide a col-

orful anchor for yellow daffodils and
other spring flowers. Even just a few
leaves with a sprig of flowers can add
a nice, cheerful touch. If you have ever
grown sweet peas, you know how prolific
they are, and they end up being displayed
everywhere in your home. They not only
provide beautiful colors, but their sweet
smell definitely makes you know that
spring is here. I also love growing Peruvian lilies or alstroemeria, which come in
numerous colors and last forever.

Change your focus
Instead of facing your fireplace, rearrange
your furniture to have a view of the outdoors and gardens. Now is also the time
to start creating outdoor spaces for family
and guests. Take advantage of the season’s sales and change out old and faded
cushions and pillows. If needed, refresh
your outdoor furniture with new paint or
stain.
Enjoy the beauty of the season and
lighten up!

Shoshanah Siegel provides color consulting
as well as space planning, remodeling,
upgrading and staging through her firm Your
Color Diva. She can be contacted at (562)
427-0440 or at shoshanah.siegel@gmail.com.
More of Siegel’s writing may be found at thebright.com .

The Wrigley Area Neighborhood Alliance will present its “Easter on the Green”
on Saturday, March 30 from 2pm to 4pm on the median at 20th Street and Daisy
Avenue. The event will include two egg hunts. The first will be for children 2 to 6
years old. Sign-in will be from 2pm to 2:30pm, and the hunt will begin right after
sign-up ends. The second will be for 7- to 10-year-olds, with a sign-in from 3pm to
3:30pm, and the hunt will begin shortly thereafter.
The event will also feature a cake walk, for which the suggested donation is $1
per ticket. Approximate times will be 2:15pm, 2:45pm, 3:15pm and 3:45pm. Other
family-friendly activities will include Easter-egg decorating from 2pm to 4pm, ringand bean-toss games, refreshments and baked goods.
For more information contact Maria at wrigleyalliance@gmail.com or (562)
427-5021.

ST3443 - March 29_Layout 1 3/29/13 11:51 AM Page 10

CULTURE

10 SIGNAL TRIBUNE

MARCH 29, 2013

Local photographer integrates her
community and culture into photos
Brandy Soto
Editorial Intern

Growing up in a place where ethnicity
and family are prized possessions, Cynthia Herrera has always known how to
capture the essence of cultural being. Her
childhood and Cuban background would
become trademarks of her art as a photographer and, ultimately, how she identifies
herself.
Having received her first camera at the
age of 10, she began capturing perceptive
images that would later chronicle her jour-

neys and surroundings in everyday life.
“Instead of traditional images, I made pictures of empty spaces, objects, my feet, so
I could ‘see’ where I was walking,” Herrera said. “I wanted documents of marks
being made in the world.”
Herrera was born in Los Angeles, California, on June 6, 1977 to Fernando and
Sonia Herrera. She was raised in Huntington Park, a community of collective Hispanic cultures struggling to make a living.
Her childhood consisted of doing
whatever she could to help provide for her

family. She recalls each Saturday morning
being a family event, in which they would
all slice strawberries and at 5am, while
most children were sound asleep, Herrera
would accompany her father on drives to
the market. She says these experiences
have provided a meaningful outlook on
life and helped her grow as a person.
“I am the product of all of these stories,” Herrera said. “My story would be a
layered one of then and now. Through
family stories, I was and remain very
attached to my family history but produce
artwork about living in a contemporary,
culturally layered context.”
She would go on to pursue an education in photography and later become a
more developed artist and art educator.
Whether she was in or out of school, she
learned most through hands-on experiences in art programs offered by her community. She brought up one of her very
first mentors, Genevieve Barrios, who
allowed her a space to connect with art at
the Bowers Museum of Cultural Art in
Santa Ana.
“As an arts facilitator, this space
brought together local artists, community
organizers and educators to create projects
for youth in the community,” she said.
“Here I was able to engage as not just a
student but as a producer of culture.”
She has found that photography gives
her an outlet to capture the ideologies of
connection and identity, and transform
them into “tangible objects.”
She has participated in various art festivals locally and most recently, the
Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art.
Lately, she has been working on the You

Mar, La Habana, Cuba, 2010

Happy Easter from Café Bixby!
Easter Dinner served
Sunday, March 31
from 11am-8pm

Vista, La Florida, Cuba, 2010

Are Here Project and Project DOHAAber Bridge U.S. to Qatar. These activities are designed to give today’s youth the
thoughtful outlook Herrera has gained
from contemporary art and culture– “personal and community identity through
cultural production.”

In photography, what is the biggest
challenge you have been faced with?
The biggest challenge I am faced with as
a photographer is integrating photography
as a historically object-based art form into
the world of community engagement and
social practice.

Do you think about placement before
you begin a project, or do you freestyle
in the moment?
As I am making photographs in a particular context there is not much preconception. It is the place and the moment that
dictates a story on a first outing. From
there, after editing and finding something
that strikes my
interest, I will further investigate
found
themes.
Most composition
happens in the editing process

Is there a special
technique
or
theme that has
become a staple
of your photographs?
The theme of most
of my work is the
embodiment of
personal and community histories in
spaces. I investigate intersections
of
experience
within communities.

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In the selection
process of your
photos, is it difficult to choose
which ones you
will feature?
It is important to
choose images that

Do you feel that selling your work
affects the way you photograph?
I never think about selling the work at any
part of the process.

How has your photography developed
over the years?
Over the years my photography has
developed from a practice of simply documenting a moment to evolving into constructions. Through photographs I don’t
just document, but construct interpretations of the ordinary to tell stories about an
identity and history.
Is there a photograph or series that you
favor more than others?
I don’t favor any one series more than others. I do hold my work of documentary
photography in Cuba very personally, creating my own relationship with my cultural history and reconciling that with my
family experience.

With the constant growing of social
media, do you feel that modern photography is transforming?
I do feel that photography is shifting from
the precious object to a translation.
Through social media and Internet, mass
reproduction of images and constantly
shifting contexts within which they
are viewed changes meaning and impact
of an image. It is up to the artist to use
these new spaces as content for meaning
in their work.

How do you feel about others’ interpretations of your art?
I think others’ interpretations of my work
are a great reflective process for me. I like
to hear about the nuances others see in my
images and the meanings developed from
their own histories they bring to the reading of a photograph.
Is there anything you hope people can
take away from your photos?
I hope people see beauty in the everyday.

Which type of setting do you work best
in?
Streets. My work often starts in the centers
and offshoots of shared spaces.

Are there any artists that influenced
your photography?
William Eggleston and Stephen Shore
have influenced me in terms of looking.
These two artists capture the mundane
and made cinema. Stories were told in
simple compositions of obscure ordinary
places. Walker Evans influenced me in
terms of the power of photography.
Evans’s work, Cuba, helped to create the
ethos of Cuba. His photographs are part of
the visual construction of the U.S. “idea”
of a place.

How has your art shaped who you are
today or who you want to be?
My work as an artist has shaped how I
engage with my community. I now create
projects that engage youth and empower
Sushi, Tempura, &?Traditional Favorites communities to tell, document their own
stories and see themselves and not just the
Tues, Wed,Thurs 4:30pm-6:30pm
embodiment of culture but as cultural producers.
off *Sapporo* Premium Draft Beer

of course communicate, but it is something sublime that gets introduced in the
editing and final selection process. Images
that have an unexplainable life and layered story in their color texture and composition.

Years ago, as a violin student, I
attended a couple of master classes
given by virtuosic icons– violinists
like Isaac Stern and Yehudi Menuhin.
An audience of serious and semi-serious pupils of the violin and other classical stringed instruments would
comprise the class who were there to
witness a genius of world fame work
individually with one or more promising and– make no mistake– very
fortunate students. Of course the idea
was to glean anything and everything
one could from witnessing the lesson.
After all, a single spoken gem or two
from Heifetz or Perlman had to be
worth a lifetime or more of instruction
from an unknown teacher, right?
Well, at least there was always that
potential.
In any case, master classes were
generally quite inspiring, if not thor-

oughly enlightening. And sometimes
attendees were treated to a story or
two– one or more juicy tidbits not
generally known about the idol we all
wished to emulate, most of us knowing we never would.
Playwright Terrence McNally’s
Master Class makes the theater audience its “class” while former operatic
diva extraordinaire Maria Callas
engages in self-aggrandizing and
biographical discourse that is both
revealing and entertaining. As Callas
in International City Theatre's new
production, Gigi Bermingham strikes
a palatable balance between insufferable prima donna and fallible human
being– something not all who have
been cast in this role have managed,
or perhaps even attempted.
The stories of Callas’s destitute
childhood, her single-minded commitment to her musical craft, her
failed first marriage, the heartwrenching unrequited love affair with

Courtesy ICT

Gigi Bermingham strikes a palatable balance between insufferable prima donna
and fallible human being in International City Theatre’s production of Master Class.

Aristotle Onassis, and her ultimate
rise to arguably unparalleled operatic
greatness pour forth in a dazzling display of animated storytelling.
Surprisingly, the instruction of
three “lucky” students is distinctly
secondary to Callas’s life narrative.
Indeed, the relatively brief instructional segments are mere asides. As
such, McNally has invented one of
the most ingenious devices I’ve ever
encountered for theatrically recounting a biography.
While the sometimes amusing and
often profoundly sad memoir plays
out, Callas is occasionally “interrupted” by the entrance of one of the
students who would receive the coveted personal attention.
In Master Class the trio of students include one young man and two
young women, all prepared to impress
Callas with the talent their teachers,
families and fellow students have no
doubt assured them they possess.
Given Callas’s self-involved temperament, at first I wondered if she were
capable of imparting to any student
something of value. I half expected a
series of comparisons designed to
inflate her own ego while deflating
the spirit and self-confidence of the
student– the more gifted the student,
the harsher the treatment. I braced
myself for such an eventuality.
Happily, it appears McNally draws
Callas as a more multi-dimensioned
character. She does offer valuable
advice. Never mincing words, however, one female singer (played perkily and with fine operatic voice by
soprano Danielle Skalsky) is dismissed as a limited eternal amateur,
while another (soprano Jennifer Shelton dazzles in the role) could go
somewhat further. The young man
(tenor Tyler Milliron gives a spirited
performance), however, takes Callas’s
breath away. We are gratified, if a bit
stunned, to find her wishing him well
for a successful future career upon
admitting she can find nothing lacking in his performance.
Of course, it is curious that Callas

SIGNAL TRIBUNE

finds fault with the two young
women, and not the young man.
Coincidence? Or is the young tenor
simply less threatening to Callas’s
own fragile ego? Perhaps McNally
intended to leave his audience grappling with this unanswerable question.
Pianist James Lent masterfully
accompanies the vocalists while competently singing alternate vocal parts
to fill in where helpful– well done!
Jeremy Mascia offers a bit of welcome, if overdone, comic relief as the
beleaguered stagehand.
ICT’s excellent production,
directed by Todd Nielsen on J.R.

Bruce’s attractive and versatile set, is
engaging, believable, and extremely
well cast– an outstanding evening of
theater.
Master Class continues at International City Theatre through April 14.
Tickets are $45 for Friday and Saturday evening performances and for
Sunday matinees, $38 for Thursday
evening performances. Evening performances are at 8pm; Sunday matinees are at 2pm. ICT is located in the
Long Beach Performing Arts Center at
300 East Ocean Blvd. Call (562) 4364610 for reservations and information.
Tickets are also available online at
InternationalCityTheatre.com .

Need a reason to get up on the weekends?
for
a
mimosa!
Open for Easter Sunday! Join us
Brunch served 10am-3pm
Entrées:

TST4315
Title No. 6231293 ALS No. 2011-7007 NOTICE OF
TRUSTEE'S SALE YOU ARE IN DEFAULT OF A
LIEN, DATED MARCH 12, 2012. UNLESS YOU TAKE
ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY, IT MAY
BE SOLD AT A PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN
EXPLANATION OF THE NATURE OF THE PROCEEDINGS AGAINST YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LAWYER. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT:
On April 10, 2013, at 9:00 AM, ASSOCIATION LIEN
SERVICES, as duly appointed Trustee under and pursuant to a certain lien, recorded on March 15, 2012, as
instrument number 20120404979, of the official records
of Los Angeles County, California. WILL SELL AT PUBLIC AUCTION TO HIGHEST BIDDER FOR LAWFUL
MONEY OF THE UNITED STATES, OR A CASHIERS
CHECK at: Behind the fountain located in Civic Center
Plaza, 400 Civic Center Plaza, Pomona CA. The street
address and other common designations, if any, of the
real property described above is purported to be: 2209
Bay View Drive , Signal Hill, California 90755 Assessor's Parcel No. 7215-014-065 The owner(s) of the real
property is purported to be: Steen D. Sprouffske,
unmarried man The undersigned Trustee disclaims any
liability for any incorrectness of the street address and
other common designations, if any, shown herein. Said
sale will be made, but without covenant or warranty,
expressed or implied, regarding title, possession or
encumbrances, to pay the remaining principal sum of a
note, homeowner's assessment or other obligation
secured by this lien, with interest and other sum as provided therein: plus advances, if any, under the terms
thereof and interest on such advances, plus fees,
charges, expenses of the Trustee and trust created by
said lien. The total amount of the unpaid balance of the
obligation secured by the property to be sold and reasonable estimated costs, expenses and advances at
the time of the initial publication of the Notice of Sale is
$17,634.06. Payment must be in cash, a cashier's
check drawn on a state or national bank, a check drawn
by a state bank or federal credit union, or a check
drawn by a state or federal savings & loan association,
savings association, or savings bank specified in section 5102 of the Financial Code and authorized to do
business in this state. The real property described
above is being sold subject to the right of redemption.
The redemption period within which real property may
be redeemed ends 90 days after the sale. NOTICE TO
POTENTIAL BIDDERS: If you are considering bidding
on this property lien, you should understand that there
are risks involved in bidding at a trustee auction. You
will be bidding on a lien, not on the property itself. Placing the highest bid at a trustee auction does not automatically entitle you to free and clear ownership of the
property. You should also be aware that the lien being
auctioned off may be a junior lien. If you are the highest
bidder at the auction, you are or may be responsible for
paying off all liens senior to the lien being auctioned off,
before you can receive clear title to the property. You
are encouraged to investigate the existence, priority,
and size of outstanding liens that may exist on this
property by contacting the county recorder’s office or a
title insurance company, either of which may charge
you a fee for this information. If you consult either of
these resources, you should be aware that the same
lender may hold more than one mortgage or deed of
trust on the property. NOTICE TO PROPERTY
OWNER: The sale date shown on this notice of sale
may be postponed one or more times by the mortgagee, beneficiary, trustee, or a court, pursuant to Section 2924g of the California Civil Code. The law
requires that information about trustee sale postponements be made available to you and to the public, as a
courtesy to those not present at the sale. If you wish to
learn whether your sale date has been postponed, and,
if applicable, the rescheduled time and date for the sale
of this property, you may contact Priority Posting & Publishing for information regarding the trustee’s sale or
visit its website www.priorityposting.com for information
regarding the sale of this property. Information about
postponements that are very short in duration or that
occur close in time to the scheduled sale may not
immediately be reflected in the telephone information
or on the website. The best way to verify postponement information is to attend the scheduled sale. The
beneficiary of said Lien hereto executed and delivered
to the undersigned, a written Declaration of Default and
Demand for Sale, and a written Notice of Default and
Election to Sell. The undersigned caused said Notice of
Default and Election to Sell to be recorded in the
County where the real property is located. Date: March
8, 2013 Association Lien Services, as Trustee P.O. Box
64750, Los Angeles, CA 90064 (310) 207-2027 By:
Alvin Okoreeh, Trustee Officer P1026742 3/15, 3/22,
03/29/2013

TST4326
Trustee Sale No. 255494CA Loan No. 0709249742
Title Order No. 1031270 NOTICE OF TRUSTEE’S
SALE YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF
TRUST DATED 02-01-2006. UNLESS YOU TAKE
ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY, IT MAY
BE SOLD AT A PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN
EXPLANATION OF THE NATURE OF THE PROCEEDINGS AGAINST YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LAWYER. On 04-19-2013 at 9:00 AM,
CALIFORNIA RECONVEYANCE COMPANY as the
duly appointed Trustee under and pursuant to Deed of
Trust Recorded 02-09-2006, Book N/A, Page N/A,
Instrument 06 0305428, of official records in the Office
of the Recorder of LOS ANGELES County, California,
executed by: MILLICENT DICKINSON, AN UNMARRIED WOMAN, as Trustor, WASHINGTON MUTUAL
BANK, FA, as Beneficiary, will sell at public auction sale
to the highest bidder for cash, cashier's check drawn by
a state or national bank, a cashier’s check drawn by a
state or federal credit union, or a cashier’s check drawn
by a state or federal savings and loan association, savings association, or savings bank specified in section
5102 of the Financial Code and authorized to do business in this state. Sale will be held by the duly
appointed trustee as shown below, of all right, title, and
interest conveyed to and now held by the trustee in the
hereinafter described property under and pursuant to
the Deed of Trust. The sale will be made, but without
covenant or warranty, expressed or implied, regarding
title, possession, or encumbrances, to pay the remaining principal sum of the note(s) secured by the Deed of
Trust, interest thereon, estimated fees, charges and
expenses of the Trustee for the total amount (at the
time of the initial publication of the Notice of Sale) reasonably estimated to be set forth below. The amount
may be greater on the day of sale. Place of Sale:
BEHIND THE FOUNTAIN LOCATED IN CIVIC CENTER PLAZA, 400 CIVIC CENTER PLAZA, POMONA,
CA Legal Description: PARCEL 1: UNIT NO. 17, AS
SHOWN AND DESCRIBED IN THE CONDOMINIUM
PLAN FOR TRACT 35227, RECORDED ON DECEMBER 18, 1981 AS INSTRUMENT NO. 81-1244757.
PARCEL 2: AN UNDIVIDED 1/82 INTEREST AS TENANT IN COMMON IN LOT 1 OF TRACT 35227, IN
THE CITY OF SIGNAL HILL, COUNTY OF LOS
ANGELES, STATE OF CALIFORNIA, AS PER MAP
RECORDED IN BOOK 970 PAGES 71 AND 72 OF
MAPS, IN THE OFFICE OF THE COUNTY
RECORDER OF SAID COUNTY. EXCEPT THEREFROM UNITS 1 TO 82, INCLUSIVE, AS SHOWN AND
DESCRIBED IN THE CONDOMINIUM PLAN
REFERRED TO IN PARCEL 1. ALSO EXCEPT
THEREFROM A PORTION OF SAID LAND, THE
TITLE TO AND OWNERSHIP OF AN UNDIVIDED 8
PERCENT OF ALL OIL, GAS AND OTHER HYDROCARBON SUBSTANCES UNDER SAID LAND, OR
WHICH MAY BE EXTRACTED FROM OR PRODUCED FROM OR UPON SAID LAND, PROVIDED
SUCH OIL, GAS OR OTHER HYDROCARBON SUBSTANCES ARE DISCOVERED AND PRODUCTION
IS COMMENCED WITHIN A PERIOD OF 10 YEARS
FROM JANUARY 30, 1946, AND UPON THE HAP-

PUBLIC NOTICES

PENING OF SUCH EVENTS, THEN GRANTOR`S
RESERVED INTEREST SHALL CONTINUE SO
LONG AS OIL OR GAS OR ANY HYDROCARBON
SUBSTANCES ARE PRODUCED OR ARE CAPABLE
OF BEING PRODUCED FROM SAID PROPERTY,
AS RESERVED AND EXCEPTED IN THE DEED
FROM MAURICE S. HUBBELL AND RUTH B.
HUBBELL, HIS WIFE TO ARGUS MOYLE, A WIDOWER, DOING BUSINESS AS MOYLE OIL COMPANY, DATED JANUARY 30, 1946, RECORDED
ONE JUNE 26, 1946, IN BOOK 23389 PAGE 101,
OFFICIAL RECORDS. EXCEPT THEREFROM, ALL
OIL, OIL RIGHTS, NATURAL GAS RIGHTS, MINERAL RIGHTS, AND OTHER HYDROCARBON SUBSTANCES BY WHATEVER NAME KNOWN,
TOGETHER WITH APPURTENANT RIGHTS
THERETO, WITHOUT, HOWEVER, ANY RIGHT TO
ENTER UPON THE SURFACE OF SAID LAND NOR
ANY PORTION OF THE SUBSURFACE LYING
ABOVE A DEPTH OF 300 FEET, AS EXCEPTED OR
RESERVED IN INSTRUMENTS OF RECORD. PARCEL 3: AN EXCLUSIVE EASEMENT FOR BALCONIES/PATIO PURPOSES OVER THAT PORTION
SHOWN AND DESCRIBED IN THE CONDOMINIUM
PLAN WITH A LETTER DESIGNATION B'' AND ''C''
C17, AS SHOWN IN SAID CONDOMINIUM PLAN.
PARCEL 4: AN EXCLUSIVE EASEMENT FOR PARKING PURPOSES OVER THAT PORTION SHOWN
AND DESCRIBED IN SAID CONDOMINIUM PLAN
AS P87 Amount of unpaid balance and other charges:
$216,756.16 (estimated) Street address and other
common designation of the real property: 1903 TEMPLE AVE #121 SIGNAL HILL, CA 90755 APN Number:
7216-021-062 The undersigned Trustee disclaims any
liability for any incorrectness of the street address and
other common designation, if any, shown herein. The
property heretofore described is being sold "as is". In
compliance with California Civil Code 2923.5(c) the
mortgagee, trustee, beneficiary, or authorized agent
declares: that it has contacted the borrower(s) to
assess their financial situation and to explore options to
avoid foreclosure; or that it has made efforts to contact
the borrower(s) to assess their financial situation and to
explore options to avoid foreclosure by one of the following methods: by telephone; by United States mail;
either 1st class or certified; by overnight delivery; by
personal delivery; by e-mail; by face to face meeting.
DATE: 03-26-2013 CALIFORNIA RECONVEYANCE
COMPANY, as Trustee ROSAURA ARMENTA, ASSISTANT SECRETARY California Reconveyance Company 9200 Oakdale Avenue Mail Stop: CA2-4379
Chatsworth, CA 91311 800-892-6902 CALIFORNIA
RECONVEYANCE COMPANY IS A DEBT COLLECTOR ATTEMPTING TO COLLECT A DEBT. ANY
INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR
THAT PURPOSE. For Sales Information:
www.lpsasap.com or 1-714-730-2727 www.priorityposting.com or 1-714-573-1965 www.auction.com or 1800-280-2832 NOTICE TO POTENTIAL BIDDERS: If
you are considering bidding on this property lien, you
should understand that there are risks involved in bidding at a trustee auction. You will be bidding on a lien,
not on the property itself. Placing the highest bid at a
trustee auction does not automatically entitle you to free
and clear ownership of the property. You should also be
aware that the lien being auctioned off may be a junior
lien. If you are the highest bidder at the auction, you are
or may be responsible for paying off all liens senior to
the lien being auctioned off, before you can receive
clear title to the property. You are encouraged to investigate the existence, priority, and size of outstanding
liens that may exist on this property by contacting the
county recorder’s office or a title insurance company,
either of which may charge you a fee for this information. If you consult either of these resources, you should
be aware that the same lender may hold more than one
mortgage or deed of trust on the property. NOTICE TO
PROPERTY OWNER: The sale date shown on this
notice of sale may be postponed one or more times by
the mortgagee, beneficiary, trustee, or a court, pursuant
to Section 2924g of the California Civil Code. The law
requires that information about trustee sale postponements be made available to you and to the public, as a
courtesy to those not present at the sale. If you wish to
learn whether your sale date has been postponed, and,
if applicable, the rescheduled time and date for the sale
of this property, this information can be obtained from
one of the following three companies: LPS Agency
Sales & Posting at (714) 730-2727, or visit the Internet
Web site www.lpsasap.com (Registration required to
search for sale information) or Priority Posting & Publishing at (714) 573-1965 or visit the Internet Web site
www.priorityposting.com (Click on the link for
“Advanced Search” to search for sale information), or
auction.com at 1-800-280-2832 or visit the Internet
Web site www.auction.com, using the Trustee Sale No.
shown above. Information about postponements that
are very short in duration or that occur close in time to
the scheduled sale may not immediately be reflected in
the telephone information or on the Internet Web site.
The best way to verify postponement information is to
attend the scheduled sale. P1029317 3/29, 4/5,
04/12/2013

TST4327
NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE Trustee Sale No.
127040-11 Loan No. 0193798 Title Order No. 142773505 APN 7216-002-026 TRA No.: YOU ARE IN
DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST DATED
08/11/1998. UNLESS YOU TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY, IT MAY BE SOLD AT A
PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION OF
THE NATURE OF THE PROCEEDINGS AGAINST
YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LAWYER. On
04/19/2013 at 10:00AM, MORTGAGE LENDER
SERVICES, INC. as the duly appointed Trustee under
and pursuant to Deed of Trust Recorded on 08/20/1998
as Document No. 98 1478857 of official records in the
Office of the Recorder of LOS ANGELES County, California, executed by: KURT VAUGHN AND WAYNE
LEE, as Trustor, WILL SELL AT PUBLIC AUCTION TO
THE HIGHEST BIDDER FOR CASH (payable at time
of sale in lawful money of the United States, by cash, a
cashier's check drawn by a state or national bank, a
check drawn by a state or federal credit union, or a
check drawn by a state or federal savings and loan
association, savings association, or savings bank specified in section 5102 of the Financial Code and authorized to do business in this state). Behind the fountain
located in Civic Center Plaza, 400 Civic Center Plaza,
Pomona CA, all right, title and interest conveyed to and
now held by it under said Deed of Trust in the property
situated in said County, California describing the land
therein: SEE EXHIBIT "A" ATTACHED HERETO AND
MADE A PART HEREOF Exhibit “A” A Condominium
Comprised Of: Parcel 1: That portion of lot 1 of tract no.
33939, in The City Of Signal Hill, in The County Of Los
Angeles, State Of California, as per map recorded in
book 904 page 15 of maps, in the office of the County
recorder of said County, shown and defined as unit 1
on that certain condominium plan for said tract (the “
condominium plan” herein) recorded on October 26,
1978 as instrument no. 78-1190217 official records, of
said County, and referred to in that certain declaration
of covenants, conditions, and restrictions, and easements for Villa Hermosa Vista (the “declaration” herein)
recorded on October 10, 1978, as instrument no. 781124791 official records of said County, and Amended
on October 16, 1978 as instrument no. 78-1147383 official records. Parcel 2: An undivided one-twenty-first
interest in and to those portions of lot 1 of tract no.
33939, shown and defined as “common areas” (the
“common area” herein) on the condominium plan and
in the declaration. Except therefrom all crude oil, petroleum gas, brea, asphaltum and all kindred substances
and other minerals under and in said land, as reserved
by Gerson B. Reynolds and Wanda K. Reynolds, husband and wife, in deed recorded October 14, 1977 as
instrument no. 77-1137103 official records. Also except

all right and interest in and to all oil, gas, minerals and
subsurface material below a depth of 500 feet without
right of surface entry as reserved by R. B. J. Development Company, a General Partnership, in deed,
recorded May 24, 1979 as instrument no. 79-558917,
official records. Parcel 3: A non exclusive easement for
ingress, egress and support, over, across and through
all of the common areas of the project, to the extent provided in article XXIII of the declaration and subject to
the limitations set forth therein, which non exclusive
easement shall be appurtenant to parcel 1 above and
shall be for the benefit of grantee, his successors,
assigns, guests, tenants, servants. licensees and invitees. The property heretofore described is being sold
"as is". The street address and other common designation, if any, of the real property described above is purported to be: 2621 EAST 20TH STREET UNIT 1,
SIGNAL HILL, CA 90804. The undersigned Trustee disclaims any liability for any incorrectness of the street
address and other common designation, if any, shown
herein. Said sale will be made, but without covenant or
warranty, expressed or implied, regarding title, possession, or encumbrances, to pay the remaining principal
sum of the note(s) secured by said Deed of Trust, with
interest thereon, as provided in said note(s), advances,
if any, under the terms of the Deed of Trust, estimated
fees, charges and expenses of the Trustee and of the
trusts created by said Deed of Trust, to-wit: $113,659.16
(Estimated). Accrued interest and additional advances,
if any, will increase this figure prior to sale. The Beneficiary may elect to bid less than the full credit bid. The
beneficiary under said Deed of Trust heretofore executed and delivered to the undersigned a written Declaration of Default and Demand for Sale, and a written
Notice of Default and Election to Sell. The undersigned
caused said Notice of Default and Election to Sell to be
recorded in the county where the real property is
located and more than three months have elapsed
since such recordation. NOTICE TO POTENTIAL BIDDERS: If you are considering bidding on this property
lien, you should understand that there are risks involved
in bidding at a trustee auction. You will be bidding on a
lien, not on the property itself. Placing the highest bid at
a trustee auction does not automatically entitle you to
free and clear ownership of the property. You should
also be aware that the lien being auctioned off may be
a junior lien. If you are the highest bidder at the auction,
you are or may be responsible for paying off all liens
senior to the lien being auctioned off, before you can
receive clear title to the property. You are encouraged
to investigate the existence, priority, and size of outstanding liens that may exist on this property by contacting the county recorder's office or a title insurance
company, either of which may charge you a fee for this
information. If you consult either of these resources,
you should be aware that the same lender may hold
more than one mortgage or deed of trust on the property. NOTICE TO PROPERTY OWNER: The sale date
shown on this notice of sale may be postponed one or
more times by the mortgagee, beneficiary, trustee, or a
court, pursuant to Section 2924g of the California Civil
Code. The law requires that information about trustee
sale postponements be made available to you and to
the public, as a courtesy to those not present at the
sale. If you wish to learn whether your sale date has
been postponed, and, if applicable, the rescheduled
time and date for the sale of this property, you may call
(916) 939-0772 or visit this Internet Web site
www.nationwideposting.com using the file number
assigned to this case 127040-11. Information about
postponements that are very short in duration or that
occur close in time to the scheduled sale may not
immediately be reflected in the telephone information
or on the Internet Web site. The best way to verify postponement information is to attend the scheduled sale.
Date: 03/22/2013 MORTGAGE LENDER SERVICES,
INC. 81 BLUE RAVINE ROAD, SUITE 100, FOLSOM,
CA 95630 (916) 962-3453 Sale Information Line: (916)
939-0772 or www.nationwideposting.com. TARA
CAMPBELL, TRUSTEE SALE OFFICER. MORTGAGE LENDER SERVICES, INC. MAY BE A DEBT
COLLECTOR ATTEMPTING TO COLLECT A DEBT.
ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED
FOR THAT PURPOSE. NPP0215088 To: SIGNAL
TRIBUNE PUB: 03/29/2013, 04/05/2013, 04/12/2013
TST4323
Loan No.: FREEMAN RESS Order No.: 75035 A.P.
NUMBER 7215-027-063 NOTICE OF TRUSTEE’S
SALE UNDER DEED OF TRUST YOU ARE IN
DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST, DATED
March 15, 2007, UNLESS YOU TAKE ACTION TO
PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY, IT MAY BE SOLD AT
A PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION
OF THE NATURE OF THE PROCEEDING AGAINST
YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LAWYER. NOTICE
IS HEREBY GIVEN, that on 04/12/2013, at 9:00 A.M.
of said day, behind the fountain located in Civic Center
Plaza, 400 Civic Center Plaza, Pomona, CA, RESS
Financial Corporation, a California corporation, as duly
appointed Trustee under and pursuant to the power of
sale conferred in that certain Deed of Trust executed by
MARKESE FREEMAN, an Unmarried Man recorded
on 06/01/2007, in Book n/a of Official Records of LOS
ANGELES County, at page n/a, Recorder’s Instrument
No. 20071326299 , by reason of a breach or default in
payment or performance of the obligations secured
thereby, including that breach or default, Notice of
which was recorded 12/10/2012 as Recorder’s Instrument No. 20121894739, in Book n/a, at page n/a, WILL
SELL AT PUBLIC AUCTION TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER FOR CASH, lawful money of the United States,
evidenced by a Cashier’s Check drawn on a state or
national bank, or the equivalent thereof drawn on any
other financial institution specified in section 5102 of the
California Financial Code, authorized to do business in
the State of California, ALL PAYABLE AT THE TIME OF
SALE, all right, title and interest held by it as Trustee, in
that real property situated in said County and State,
described as follows: Portion Lots 9 and 10, Block "P",
per Book 9, pages 2 and 3, being also a portion of
Parcels "A" and "B" per Certificate of Compliance
recorded November 12, 2002, as Instrument No. 022721165. The street address or other common designation of the real property hereinabove described is
purported to be: 2749 EAST 21ST STREET, SIGNAL
HILL, CA 90755 . The undersigned disclaims all liability
for any incorrectness in said street address or other
common designation. Said sale will be made without
warranty, express or implied regarding title, possession,
or other encumbrances, to satisfy the unpaid obligations secured by said Deed of Trust, with interest and
other sums as provided therein; plus advances, if any,
thereunder and interest thereon; and plus fees,
charges, and expenses of the Trustee and of the trusts
created by said Deed of Trust. The total amount of said
obligations at the time of initial publication of this Notice
is $113,749.67. In the event that the deed of trust
described in this Notice of Trustee's Sale is secured by
real property containing from one to four single-family
residences, the following notices are provided pursuant
to the provisions of Civil Code section 2924f: NOTICE
TO POTENTIAL BIDDERS: If you are considering bidding on this property lien, you should understand that
there are risks involved in bidding at a trustee auction.
You will be bidding on a lien, not on the property itself.
Placing the highest bid at a trustee auction does not
automatically entitle you to free and clear ownership of
the property. You should also be aware that the lien
being auctioned off may be a junior lien. If you are the
highest bidder at the auction, you are or may be
responsible for paying off all liens senior to the lien
being auctioned off, before you can receive clear title to
the property. You are encouraged to investigate the
existence, priority, and size of outstanding liens that
may exist on this property by contacting the county
recorder's office or a title insurance company, either of
which may charge you a fee for this information. If you
consult either of these resources, you should be aware

that the same lender may hold more than one mortgage or deed of trust on the property. NOTICE TO
PROPERTY OWNER: The sale date shown on this
notice of sale may be postponed one or more times by
the mortgagee, beneficiary, trustee, or a court, pursuant
to Section 2924g of the California Civil Code. The law
requires that information about trustee's sale postponements be made available to you and to the public, as a
courtesy to those not present at the sale. If you wish to
learn whether your sale date has been postponed, and,
if applicable, the rescheduled time and date for the sale
of this property, you may call 714-573-1965 or visit this
Internet Web site www.priorityposting.com, using the
file number assigned to this case 75035. Information
about postponements that are very short in duration or
that occur close in time to the scheduled sale may not
be immediately reflected in the telephone information
or on the Internet Web site. The best way to verify postponement information is to attend the scheduled sale.
Dated: 03/13/2013 RESS Financial Corporation a California corporation, as Trustee By: Bruce R. Beasley,
President 1780 Town and Country Drive, Suite 105,
Norco, CA 92860-3618 (SEAL) Tel.: (951) 270-0164 or
(800)343-7377 FAX: (951)270-2673 Trustee’s Sale
Information: (714) 573-1965 www.priorityposting.com
P1027069 3/22, 3/29, 04/05/2013

TST4316
APN: 7216-018-018 TS No: CA05002533-12-1 TO No:
1325084 NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE YOU ARE
IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST DATED
December 11, 2006. UNLESS YOU TAKE ACTION
TO PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY, IT MAY BE SOLD
AT A PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION OF THE NATURE OF THE PROCEEDINGS
AGAINST YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT A
LAWYER. On April 8, 2013 at 09:00 AM, Vineyard Ballroom at Doubletree Hotel Los Angeles-Norwalk, 13111
Sycamore Drive, Norwalk, CA 90650, MTC FINANCIAL INC. dba TRUSTEE CORPS, as the duly
Appointed Trustee, under and pursuant to the power of
sale contained in that certain Deed of Trust Recorded
on December 20, 2006 as Instrument No. 06 2830189
of official records in the Office of the Recorder of Los
Angeles County, California, executed by DANIELA
VLNKOVA, AND IGOR VLNKA, HUSBAND AND
WIFE AS JOINT TENANTS, as Trustor(s), in favor of
AMERICA`S WHOLESALE LENDER as Lender and
MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC. as nominee for Lender, its successors
and/or assigns, WILL SELL AT PUBLIC AUCTION TO
THE HIGHEST BIDDER, in lawful money of the United
States, all payable at the time of sale, that certain property situated in said County, California describing the
land therein as: AS MORE FULLY DESCRIBED IN
SAID DEED OF TRUST The property heretofore
described is being sold "as is". The street address and
other common designation, if any, of the real property
described above is purported to be: 1916 JUNIPERO
AVENUE, SIGNAL HILL, CA 90755-6012 The undersigned Trustee disclaims any liability for any incorrectness of the street address and other common
designation, if any, shown herein. Said sale will be
made without covenant or warranty, express or implied,
regarding title, possession, or encumbrances, to pay
the remaining principal sum of the Note(s) secured by
said Deed of Trust, with interest thereon, as provided in
said Note(s), advances if any, under the terms of the
Deed of Trust, estimated fees, charges and expenses
of the Trustee and of the trusts created by said Deed of
Trust. The total amount of the unpaid balance of the
obligations secured by the property to be sold and reasonable estimated costs, expenses and advances at
the time of the initial publication of this Notice of
Trustee`s Sale is estimated to be $373,127.77 (Estimated), provided, however, prepayment premiums,
accrued interest and advances will increase this figure
prior to sale. Beneficiary`s bid at said sale may include
all or part of said amount. In addition to cash, the
Trustee will accept a cashier`s check drawn on a state
or national bank, a check drawn by a state or federal
credit union or a check drawn by a state or federal savings and loan association, savings association or savings bank specified in Section 5102 of the California
Financial Code and authorized to do business in California, or other such funds as may be acceptable to the
Trustee. In the event tender other than cash is
accepted, the Trustee may withhold the issuance of the
Trustee`s Deed Upon Sale until funds become available to the payee or endorsee as a matter of right. The
property offered for sale excludes all funds held on
account by the property receiver, if applicable. If the
Trustee is unable to convey title for any reason, the successful bidder`s sole and exclusive remedy shall be the
return of monies paid to the Trustee and the successful
bidder shall have no further recourse. Notice to Potential Bidders If you are considering bidding on this property lien, you should understand that there are risks
involved in bidding at a Trustee auction. You will be bidding on a lien, not on the property itself. Placing the
highest bid at a Trustee auction does not automatically
entitle you to free and clear ownership of the property.
You should also be aware that the lien being auctioned
off may be a junior lien. If you are the highest bidder at
the auction, you are or may be responsible for paying
off all liens senior to the lien being auctioned off, before
you can receive clear title to the property. You are
encouraged to investigate the existence, priority, and
size of outstanding liens that may exist on this property
by contacting the county recorder's office or a title insurance company, either of which may charge you a fee
for this information. If you consult either of these
resources, you should be aware that the same Lender
may hold more than one mortgage or Deed of Trust on
the property. Notice to Property Owner The sale date
shown on this Notice of Sale may be postponed one or
more times by the Mortgagee, Beneficiary, Trustee, or
a court, pursuant to Section 2924g of the California Civil
Code. The law requires that information about Trustee
Sale postponements be made available to you and to
the public, as a courtesy to those not present at the
sale. If you wish to learn whether your sale date has
been postponed, and, if applicable, the rescheduled
time and date for the sale of this property, you may call
Auction.com at 800.280.2832 for information regarding
the Trustee's Sale or visit the Internet Web site address
www.Auction.com for information regarding the sale of
this property, using the file number assigned to this
case, CA05002533-12-1. Information about postponements that are very short in duration or that occur close
in time to the scheduled sale may not immediately be
reflected in the telephone information or on the Internet
Web site. The best way to verify postponement information is to attend the scheduled sale. Date: March 9,
2013 TRUSTEE CORPS TS No. CA05002533-121 17100 Gillette Ave, Irvine, CA 92614 949-2528300 Stephanie Hoy, Authorized Signatory SALE
INFORMATION CAN BE OBTAINED ONLINE AT
www.Auction.com FOR AUTOMATED SALES INFORMATION PLEASE CALL AUCTION.COM at
800.280.2832 TRUSTEE CORPS MAY BE ACTING
AS A DEBT COLLECTOR ATTEMPTING TO COLLECT A DEBT. ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED MAY
BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE. P1026562 3/15,
3/22, 03/29/2013
TST4331 / 2013 050756
FICTITIoUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT
The following person is doing business as: AEH
PHOTOGRAPHY, 25735 Perlman Place Unit A,
Stevenson Ranch, CA 91381. Registrant:
ALEXIS EVE HARRINGTON, 25735 Perlman
Place Unit A, Stevenson Ranch, CA 91381. This
business is conducted by: an Individual. I declare
that all information in this statement is true and
correct. Signed: Alexis Harrington. The registrant
has begun to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed herein. The
registrant began using this fictitious business

MARCH 29, 2013

name on February 25, 2013. This statement was
filed with the county clerk of Los Angeles County
on March 14, 2013.

TST4332 / 2013 058242
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT
The following person is doing business as:
PACIFIC OFFICE MANAGEMENT, 5540 El
Jardin St., Long Beach, CA 90815. Registrant:
DONALD R. YANCY, 5540 El Jardin St., Long
Beach, CA 90815. This business is conducted
by: an Individual. I declare that all information
in this statement is true and correct. Signed:
Donald R. Yancy. The registrant has not begun
to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed herein. This statement was filed with the county clerk of Los
Angeles County on March 25, 2013. NOTICE:
This fictitious business name statement expires
five years from the date it was filed in the office
of the county clerk. A new fictitious business
name statement must be filed prior to that date.
The filing of this statement does not of itself
authorize the use in this state of a fictitious
business name in violation of the rights of
another under federal, state, or common law
(see section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code). Pub. The Signal Tribune:
March 29, & April 5, 12, 19, 2013.
TST4333 / 2013 060078
FICTITIoUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT
The following person is doing business as:
BELLE'S GIFT SHOP, 6481 Atlantic Ave. #107,
Long Beach, CA 90805. Registrant: DAVID
ETHRIDGE, 6481 Atlantic Ave. #107, Long
Beach, CA 90805. This business is conducted
by: an Individual. I declare that all information
in this statement is true and correct. Signed:
David Ethridge. The registrant has begun to
transact business under the fictitious business
name or names listed herein. The registrant
began using this fictitious business name on
March 15, 2013. This statement was filed with
the county clerk of Los Angeles County on
March 26, 2013. NOTICE: This fictitious business name statement expires five years from
the date it was filed in the office of the county
clerk. A new fictitious business name statement
must be filed prior to that date. The filing of this
statement does not of itself authorize the use
in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal,
state, or common law (see section 14411 et
seq., Business and Professions Code). Pub.
The Signal Tribune: March 29, & April 5, 12, 19,
2013.

TST4334 / 2013 060079
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT
The following person is doing business as: GK
MEDIA, 2271 Grand Ave., Long Beach, CA
90815. Registrant: KRIS GRAGSON, 2271
Grand Ave., Long Beach, CA 90815 This business is conducted by: an Individual. I declare that
all information in this statement is true and correct. Signed: Kris Gragson. The registrant has
begun to transact business under the fictitious
business name or names listed herein. This statement was filed with the county clerk of Los Angeles County on March 26, 2013. NOTICE: This
fictitious business name statement expires five
years from the date it was filed in the office of the
county clerk. A new fictitious business name
statement must be filed prior to that date. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize
the use in this state of a fictitious business name
in violation of the rights of another under federal,
state, or common law (see section 14411 et seq.,
Business and Professions Code). Pub. The Signal Tribune: March 29, & April 5, 12, 19, 2013.

TST4311 044414
FICTITIoUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT
The following person is doing business as:
UNITED SECURITY TRAINING CENTER, 3639
Atlantic Ave., Long Beach, CA 90807. Registrant:
UNITED SECUITY SERVICES, 3639 Atlantic
Ave., Long Beach, CA 90807. This business is
conducted by: a Corporation. I declare that all
information in this statement is true and correct.
Signed: Candice L. Wright, CFO. The registrant
has begun to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed herein. The
registrant began using this fictitious business
name on March 5, 2013. This statement was filed
with the county clerk of Los Angeles County on
February 6, 2013. NOTICE: This fictitious business name statement expires five years from the
date it was filed in the office of the county clerk. A
new fictitious business name statement must be
filed prior to that date. The filing of this statement
does not of itself authorize the use in this state of
a fictitious business name in violation of the rights
of another under federal, state, or common law
(see section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code). Pub. The Signal Tribune: March 8, 15,
22, 29, 2013.

TST4312 / 2013 025235
FICTITIoUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT
The following person is doing business as: LEVEL
UP ENTERTAINMENT, 1066 E. 46th St., Long
Beach, CA 90807. Registrant: STELLAR EVENT
SERVICES, LLC, 1066 E. 46th St., Long Beach, CA
90807. This business is conducted by: a Limited Liability Company. I declare that all information in this
statement is true and correct. Signed: Dianna Manson, President. The registrant has begun to transact
business under the fictitious business name or
names listed herein. The registrant began using this
fictitious business name on January 1, 2013. This
statement was filed with the county clerk of Los
Angeles County on February 6, 2013. NOTICE: This
fictitious business name statement expires five years
from the date it was filed in the office of the county
clerk. A new fictitious business name statement must
be filed prior to that date. The filing of this statement
does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a
fictitious business name in violation of the rights of
another under federal, state, or common law (see
section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions
Code). Pub. The Signal Tribune: March 8, 15, 22, 29,
2013.
TST4313 / 2013 044097
FICTITIoUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT
The following persons are doing business as: EAST
LONG BEACH CURVES, 6536 E. Spring St., Long
Beach, CA 90815. Registrants: 1. ROBERT E.
GREEN, 2. ROSE MARIE J. GREEN, 2945 Ladoga
Ave., Long Beach, CA 90815. This business is conducted by: a Married Couple. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. Signed:
Robert E. Green. The registrants have not begun to
transact business under the fictitious business
name or names listed herein. This statement was
filed with the county clerk of Los Angeles County
on February 6, 2013. NOTICE: This fictitious business name statement expires five years from the
date it was filed in the office of the county clerk. A
new fictitious business name statement must be
filed prior to that date. The filing of this statement
does not of itself authorize the use in this state of a
fictitious business name in violation of the rights of
another under federal, state, or common law (see
section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions
Code). Pub. The Signal Tribune: March 8, 15, 22,
29, 2013

TST4335 / Case No. NP015334
Notice of Petition To Administer Estate of:
IMA lEE GARNETT
To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent
creditors, and persons who may otherwise be
interested in the will or estate, or both of IMA
LEE GARNETT A Petition For Probate has been
filed by MARIA HILL O'DWYER in the Superior
Court of California, County of Los Angeles. The
Petition For Probate requests that MARIA HILL
O'DWYER, be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.
The Petition requests the decedent’s will codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and
any codicils are available for examination in the
file kept by the court. The Petition requests
authority to administer the estate under the
Independent Administration of Estates Act with
limited authority. (This authority will allow the
personal representative to take many actions
without obtaining court approval. Before taking
certain and very important actions, however, the
personal representative will be required to give
notice to interested persons unless they have
waived notice or consented to the proposed
action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person
files an objection to the petition and shows good
cause why the court should not grant the authority. A Hearing on the petition will be held on April
18, 2013 at 1:30 PM in Dept. 4 located at 415
W. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90802. If You
Object to the granting of the petition, you should
appear at the hearing and state your objections
or file written objections, with the court before
the hearing. Your appearance may be in person
or by your attorney. If Your Are A Creditor or a
contingent creditor of the deceased, you must
file your claim with the court and mail a copy to
the personal representative appointed by the
court within four months from the date of first
issuance of letters as provided in Probate Code
section 9100. The time for filing claims will not
expire before four months from the hearing date
noticed above.You may examine the file kept by
the court. If you are a person interested in the
estate, you may file with the court a Request for
Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an
inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of
any petition or account as provided in Probate
Code Section 1250. A Request for Special
Notice form is available from the court clerk.
Petitioner: MARIA HILL O'DWYER, 1132 E. 16th
St., LONG BEACH, CA 90813. Attorney for Petitioner: Elizabeth Vozzella, Esq., 3553-A Atlantic
Ave. #187 Long Beach, CA 90807. Pub. Signal
Tribune, March 29, & April 5, 12, 2013

TST4310 / 2013 028797
FICTITIoUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT
The following person is doing business as: LITTLE ENCOURAGEMENTS, 4580 Atlantic Ave.
#7123, Long Beach, CA 90807. Registrant:
ITORO ESEME UDOFIA, 4482 N. Banner Dr.
#1, Long Beach, CA 90807. This business is
conducted by: an Individual. I declare that all
information in this statement is true and correct.
Signed: Itoro Eseme Udofia. The registrant has
begun to transact business under the fictitious
business name or names listed herein. The registrant began using this fictitious business name
on February 11, 2013. This statement was filed
with the county clerk of Los Angeles County on
February 11, 2013. NOTICE: This fictitious business name statement expires five years from
the date it was filed in the office of the county
clerk. A new fictitious business name statement
must be filed prior to that date. The filing of this
statement does not of itself authorize the use in
this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal, state,
or common law (see section 14411 et seq.,
Business and Professions Code). Pub. The Signal Tribune: March 8, 15, 22, 29, 2013.

TST4317 / 2013 049167
FICTITIoUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT
The following person is doing business as: CS
PAUL, 627 Pine Ave., Long Beach, CA 90802.
Registrant: PAULA A. ELIAS, 627 Pine Ave.,
Long Beach, CA 90802. This business is conducted by: an Individual. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct.
Signed: Paula A. Elias. The registrant has not
begun to transact business under the fictitious
business name or names listed herein. This
statement was filed with the county clerk of Los
Angeles County on March 12, 2013. NOTICE:
This fictitious business name statement expires
five years from the date it was filed in the office
of the county clerk. A new fictitious business
name statement must be filed prior to that date.
The filing of this statement does not of itself
authorize the use in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another
under federal, state, or common law (see section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions
Code). Pub. The Signal Tribune: March 15, 22,
29, & April 5, 2013.
TST4314 / 2013 046278
FICTITIoUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT
The following person is doing business as: 1. TOM
AND JERI FLORIST, 2. CHRISTENSENS, 5353
Cherry Ave., Long Beach, CA 90805. Registrant:
POPATIA CORPORATION, 9573 Cedar St., Bellflower, CA 90706. This business is conducted by: a
Corporation. I declare that all information in this
statement is true and correct. Signed: Sheila Mamdani, President. The registrant has begun to transact
business under the fictitious business name or
names listed herein. The registrant began using this
fictitious business name on July 11, 2012. This
statement was filed with the county clerk of Los
Angeles County on March 8, 2013. NOTICE: This
fictitious business name statement expires five
years from the date it was filed in the office of the
county clerk. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed prior to that date. The filing of this
statement does not of itself authorize the use in this
state of a fictitious business name in violation of the
rights of another under federal, state, or common
law (see section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code). Pub. The Signal Tribune: March 15,
22, 29, & April 5, 2013.

TST4321 / 2013 040655
FICTITIoUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT
The following person is doing business as: NAIL
BEAUTY 4U, 10732 Arrowood St., Temple City, CA
91780. Registrant: KRISTY TRINH TRAN, 3849
Cypress Ave., El Monte, CA 91731. This business is
conducted by: an Individual. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. Signed:
Kristy Trinh Tran. The registrant has not begun to
transact business under the fictitious business name
or names listed herein. This statement was filed with
the county clerk of Los Angeles County on February
28, 2013. NOTICE: This fictitious business name
statement expires five years from the date it was
filed in the office of the county clerk. A new fictitious
business name statement must be filed prior to
that date. The filing of this statement does not of
itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious
business name in violation of the rights of another
under federal, state, or common law (see section
14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code).
Pub. The Signal Tribune: March 22, 29, & April 5,
12, 2013.

TST4322 / 2013 034182
FICTITIoUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT
The following person is doing business as: BETTY
SUE NIBBLES, 1405 E. 1st St., Apt. 7, Long
Beach, CA 90802. Registrant: RACHEL CERDENIO, 1405 E. 1st St., Apt. 7, Long Beach, CA
90802. This business is conducted by: an Individual. I declare that all information in this statement
is true and correct. Signed: Rachel Cerdenio. The

registrant has begun to transact business under
the fictitious business name or names listed
herein. The registrant began using this fictitious
business name on February 20, 2013. This statement was filed with the county clerk of Los Angeles County on February 22, 2013. NOTICE: This
fictitious business name statement expires five
years from the date it was filed in the office of the
county clerk. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed prior to that date. The filing of
this statement does not of itself authorize the use
in this state of a fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal, state,
or common law (see section 14411 et seq.,
Business and Professions Code). Pub. The Signal Tribune: March 22, 29, & April 5, 12, 2013.

TST4324 / 2013 051657
FICTITIoUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT
The following person is doing business as: RINCON CHICO CANTINA & GRILL, 2476 Santa
Fe Ave., Long Beach, CA 90810. Registrant:
MARIO L. MIRAMONTES, 3186 Locust Ave.,
Long Beach, CA 90807. This business is conducted by: an Individual. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct.
Signed: Mario L. Miramontes. The registrant has
not begun to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed herein.
This statement was filed with the county clerk of
Los Angeles County on March 14, 2013.
NOTICE: This fictitious business name statement expires five years from the date it was filed
in the office of the county clerk. A new fictitious
business name statement must be filed prior to
that date. The filing of this statement does not of
itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious
business name in violation of the rights of
another under federal, state, or common law
(see section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code). Pub. The Signal Tribune: March
22, 29, & April 5, 12, 2013.

TST4325 / 2013 054753
FICTITIoUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT
The following person is doing business as:
CENTURION JET, 5250 W. Century Blvd., Ste.
617, Los Angeles, CA 90045. Registrant:
MICHAEL HENRIQUEZ, JR., 5112 Keynote
Ave., Long Beach, CA 90808. This business is
conducted by: an Individual. I declare that all
information in this statement is true and correct.
Signed: Michael Henriquez. The registrant has
not begun to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed herein.
This statement was filed with the county clerk of
Los Angeles County on March 19, 2013.
NOTICE: This fictitious business name statement expires five years from the date it was filed
in the office of the county clerk. A new fictitious
business name statement must be filed prior to
that date. The filing of this statement does not of
itself authorize the use in this state of a fictitious
business name in violation of the rights of
another under federal, state, or common law
(see section 14411 et seq., Business and Professions Code). Pub. The Signal Tribune: March
22, 29, & April 5, 12, 2013.
TST4320 / 2013 040703
STATEMENT oF ABANDoNMENT oF USE oF
FICTITIoUS BUSINESS NAME
The following person has abandoned the use of
the fictitious business name: NAIL BEAUTY 4 U,
located at 10919 Freer St., Temple City, CA 91780.
The fictitious business name referred to above was
filed on February 9, 2010, original File No. 2013
040636, in the County of Los Angeles. Registrant:
HUA PHUONG, 9746 E. Loftus Dr., Rosemead,
CA 91770. This business is conducted by: an Individual. Signed: Hua Phuong. This statement was
filed with the county clerk of Los Angeles County on
February 28, 2013. Pub. The Signal Tribune: March
22, 29, & April 5, 12, 2013.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT on Tuesday, April 9,
2013, the Planning Commission of the City of Signal Hill, California,
will conduct a public workshop at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers
located at City Hall, 2175 Cherry Avenue, Signal Hill, California, to
consider recommendations on the following:
SITE PLAN DESIGN REVIEW 13-02

AT THE MARCH MEETING PLANNING COMMISSION HELD A
WORKSHOP TO PROVIDE DIRECTION ON A PROPOSED
CHANGE TO A PREVIOUSLY APPROVED TWO-STORY 18,994
SQUARE FOOT MEDICAL OFFICE BUILDING AT 845 WILLOW
STREET FOR WHICH APPROVALS HAD EXPIRED. THE CHANGE
WAS TO FLIP THE BUILDING ORIENTATION SO THE REAR WAS
FACING THE WILLOW STREET FRONTAGE. A SECOND WORKSHOP IS SCHEDULED TO REVIEW CHANGES TO THE REAR ELEVATION.
Applicant: Ware Malcomb for 2H Construction

ALL INTERESTED PERSONS are hereby invited to attend
this Workshop to present written information, express their opinions
or otherwise present evidence on the above matter.

THE FILE containing information relative to the proposed
project may be inspected by the public between the hours of 7:30
a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 7:30 a.m. to 4:30
p.m. on Fridays, in the Community Development Department at City
Hall.
THE PUBLIC IS INVITED to submit written comments to
the Community Development Department prior to the Planning Commission workshop. Written comments may also be submitted at the
workshop or via email at scharney@cityofsignalhill.org
FURTHER INFORMATION on this item may be obtained at
the City of Signal Hill Community Development Department located
at 2175 Cherry Avenue, Signal Hill, California, or by calling Scott
Charney at (562) 989-7343.
Published in the Signal Tribune newspaper: March 29, 2013
Posted in accordance with S.H.M.C. Section 1.08.010 on or before:
March 29, 2013
Mailed to affected property owners: March 29, 2013

CITY OF SIGNAL HILL
TST4328
NoTICE oF A PUBlIC WoRKSHoP

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on Tuesday, April 9, 2013, the Planning Commission of the City of Signal Hill will conduct a public workshop
at 7:00 p.m. in the City Council Chamber located at City Hall, 2175
Cherry Avenue, Signal Hill, California, to consider the following:
CONSTRUCTION TIME LIMITS

THE PLANNING COMMISSION WILL CONDUCT A WORKSHOP TO
CONSIDER IMPLEMENTATION AND PROCEDURAL CRITERIA FOR
REASONABLE CONSTRUCTION TIME LIMITS AND EXTENSION
OPTIONS.
ALL INTERESTED PERSONS are hereby invited to attend this public
workshop to present written information, express their opinions or otherwise present evidence on the above matter. If you wish to legally challenge any action taken by the City on the above matter, you may be
limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the
public workshop described in this notice, or in written correspondence
delivered to the City prior to or at the public workshop.

THE PUBLIC IS INVITED to submit written comments to the Community
Development Department, prior to the Planning Commission workshop.
Written comments may also be submitted at the public workshop.
FURTHER INFORMATION on this item may be obtained at the City of
Signal Hill Community Development Department located at 2175 Cherry
Avenue, Signal Hill, California, or by emailing Selena Alanis, Assistant
Planner at salanis@cityofsignalhill.org or calling at (562) 989-7341.
Published in the Signal Tribune newspaper per Gov’t Code
(§65091(a)(3)(1)) March 29, 2013
Posted in accordance with S.H.M.C. Section 1.08.010: March 29, 2013

NEWS

WRD

continued from page 1

on May 10 at WRD’s headquarters at
4040 Paramount Blvd. in Lakewood.
During the court hearing last Friday, WRD General Manager Robb
Whitaker cited comments made by
Signal Hill City Attorney David
Aleshire, partner in the law firm
working on behalf of the cities, at a
Feb. 19 Signal Hill City Council
meeting. As reported by the Signal
Tribune, Aleshire stated that the
court hasn’t determined whether the
WRD would be required to notify
the more than 800,000 property owners or 200 pumpers in both Central
and West Coast Basins of rate
changes under Proposition 218.
“The question is if the WRD
assessment, in this context, would be
for the pumpers as opposed to the
individual parcels,” Aleshire said
during the City Council meeting.
“That is something that is not deter-

mined at this point in time. It’s not
determined who you would give the
notice to and how you go about
doing that, and I think that’s something that the WRD would have to
look at with their legal counsel.”
Quilizapa, however, argues that
Judge Chalfant has already ordered
that public notices be sent to the
pumpers, not the parcel owners,
adding that the cities have sent letters to WRD informing the agency
of the original court order. She said
“hearsay” at a public meeting doesn’t constitute evidence.
“I am the lead attorney in the litigation,” said Quilizapa. “…There
is nothing to interpret. We already
know it’s the pumpers, but the
WRD has really undertaken this as
a sideshow.”
On the day of the court hearing,
the WRD also issued a press release
with a subhead stating, “Cities flipflop on notifying residents about

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on Tuesday, April 9, 2013, the Planning
Commission of the City of Signal Hill will conduct a public workshop at
7:00 p.m. in the City Council Chamber located at City Hall, 2175 Cherry
Avenue, Signal Hill, California, to consider recommendations on the following:

DRAFT COMPLIANCE PLANS AND RECLASSIFICATION FOR TWELVE
TRUCKING YARDS

THE PLANNING COMMISSION WILL REVIEW DRAFT COMPLIANCE
PLANS FOR TWELVE TRUCKING YARDS AND CONSIDER CHANGING
THE USE CLASSIFICATION FOR UP TO NINE TO STORAGE YARDS.
ALL INTERESTED PERSONS are hereby invited to attend this public
workshop to present written information, express their opinions or otherwise present evidence on the above matter.

THE PUBLIC IS INVITED to submit written comments to the Community
Development Department, prior to the Planning Commission workshop.
Written comments may also be submitted at the public workshop.
FURTHER INFORMATION on this item may be obtained at the City of
Signal Hill Community Development Department located at 2175 Cherry
Avenue, Signal Hill, California, or by emailing Colleen Doan, Associate
Planner at cdoan@cityofsignalhill.org or calling at (562) 989-7344.
Published in the Signal Tribune newspaper: March 29, 2013
Posted in accordance with S.H.M.C. Section 1.08.010: March 29, 2013
Mailed to affected property owners and tenants: March 29, 2013

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that due to terms expiring on May 31,
2013, three vacancies each exist on the Signal Hill Civil Service, Planning, and Parks & Recreation Commissions. The City of Signal Hill will
be conducting a recruitment to fill each vacancy. All interested residents
are encouraged to apply.
To serve as a Civil Service, Planning, or Parks & Recreation Commissioner, you must be a U.S. citizen, 18 years of age or older; and a registered voter and resident of the City at least 29 days prior to the date of
appointment. Each member shall continue to reside in the City for the
duration of the term of office (Signal Hill City Charter Section 602).

If you are interested in serving as a Commissioner, please call (562)
989-7305 for an application. Applications are also available in the City
Clerk’s office, 2175 Cherry Avenue, Monday–Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30
p.m., and Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. You may also apply on the
City’s website at HYPERLINK "http://www.cityofsignalhill.org" www.cityofsignalhill.org. Applications must be accompanied by a letter of interest.
Applications will be accepted until Monday, April 15, 2013, at 5:30 p.m.
Published in the Signal Tribune on March 22 & 29,
and April 5 & 12, 2013.

MARCH 29, 2013

water rates,” while quoting both
Aleshire and Signal Hill City Manager Ken Farfsing.
The press release also provided
a statement from WRD Board President Albert Robles, who said the
WRD board decided to send notices
to parcel owners as a way to make
sure all ratepayers are notified.
“We believe the decision to
communicate to all residential and
business parcel owners insures that
no one is excluded from our ratesetting efforts and lends to a more
transparent public process,” Robles
stated in the press release.
Aleshire, however, said his comments quoted in the press release
were taken “out of context” and the
discussion during the City Council
meeting, attended by Whitaker, was
meant to serve as a “dialogue” with
the WRD in an effort to come up
with a “non-litigation solution”
rather than be used in court proceedings.
“We thought we were having a
dialogue with them,” Aleshire said.
“Instead, they rushed to court [and]
they rushed the notices out without
working out these issues that we
disagree with… How do I get the
cities to work with [the WRD]
when, every time we start to get
into a serious conversation, [the
WRD does] something? They issue
a press release and they try to back
us into a corner. So, it’s very hard
to convince the city councilmembers that [the WRD is] acting in
good faith.”
Quilizapa added that sending
public notices to parcel owners
rather than the pumpers creates
“confusion” and appears to be a
veiled attempt to lessen the cities’
rights to protest rate changes. For
instance, it would be harder to
gather a majority protest from
800,000 parcel owners (more than
400,000 parcel owners required)
rather than from the 200 pumpers
(more than 100 pumpers required).
“Our perception is that they
have taken this as a way of diluting
the pumpers’ protest rights so they
can successfully pass any fee that
they want,” she said.
The mailers are also a “waste of
public funds,” said Quilizapa, who
added that she estimates sending
out the notices to parcel owners
cost the WRD between $400,000
and $800,000, including postage
and printing costs.
“[The WRD has] to guard very
closely what they do with those
funds,” she said.
Edward Casey, attorney for the
WRD, deferred questions regarding
the mailers, which he said is a matter outside of litigation, to WRD
staff.
Whitaker did not return phone
calls seeking comment before press
time.
Meanwhile, the cities involved
in the litigation have received criticism from the Central Basin Water
Association (CBWA), a group of
utility agencies that hold rights to
pump groundwater. The CBWA has
recently sent letters to various cities
involved in the litigation, taking
issue with the cities withholding
RA payments for nearly two years
since the original court ruling.
The pumpers so far collectively
owe about $13.5 million in RA payments to the WRD and are keeping
the payments in liability funds until
the court awards damages, said
Quilizapa, who added that making
the payments to the WRD would be
a “gift of public funds.”
The damages phase of the case
that would determine how much the
cities would be paid back for
charges in prior years that the WRD
imposed without complying with
state law has yet to go to trial, she
said. Quilizapa said Judge Dau had
initially scheduled a trial-setting
conference to take place in May but
the hearing may likely be rescheduled again. ß

ST3443 - March 29_Layout 1 3/29/13 11:51 AM Page 15

MARCH 29, 2013

College

continued from page 1

and onwards so that students and
parents understand what they need
to do to enter college and succeed
in college, LBCC President Eloy
Oakley said in an interview prior to
the event Thursday.
“And we help them realize that
it’s not just a dream,” Oakley
added. “It is a definite reality that
they can go to college, and we have
the doors wide open for them.”
He attributed part of the success
of the program to student motivation, but he also pointed to the
major collaborative efforts between
all three institutions as a key to the
success of the program.
“I think the most important factor has been the willingness of the
three institutions to work to tear
down barriers for the students and
to really look at how to create a
seamless pathway for them so that

Alexander

continued from page 1

next generation of tech-savvy students
who are in the elementary and secondary pipeline and soon will be seeking
college degrees.”
“President Alexander has been an
exceptional leader during one of the
most challenging times for public
higher education our state has ever
faced,” said California State University
(CSU) Chancellor Timothy P. White.
“As president, he has earned the
respect of faculty, staff and students at
his campus, from his peers across the
California State University, and from
leaders of higher education throughout
the nation. King’s work with the federal government, along with his advocacy efforts to preserve access for
students in California, is particularly
commendable. I am grateful for President Alexander’s service and wish him
the best in his next endeavor.”
An interim president will be
appointed upon Alexander’s departure,
and the Chancellor and CSU Board of
Trustees will begin a national search
for a permanent replacement.
“LSU is getting an outstanding
leader in F. King Alexander,” said Bob
Linscheid, chair of the CSU Board of
Trustees. “Under his direction, California State University, Long Beach has
increased its programmatic offerings,
facilities and awareness on a national
scale that resulted in a learning environment that drew over 80,000 applications this year– the most of any CSU
campus. President Alexander has
always worked to further the CSU
mission of an affordable and accessible, high-quality education, and his
efforts were critical in offsetting the
effects of years of devastating budget
cuts to ensure that CSULB is one of
the best educational values in the country.”
Alexander will participate in the
2013 CSULB graduation ceremonies.
“I look forward to continuing my
work at Cal State Long Beach over the
next few months,” he said. “I am especially excited to be a part of this year’s
upcoming commencement ceremonies
where I will have one more opportunity to shake the hand of every 2013
CSULB graduate and wish them suc-

NEWS

they’re not stumbling along trying
to figure things out just because the
institutions don’t talk to each other,”
Oakley said.
The numbers of admissions to
CSULB have increased. The fiveyear progress report announced that
743 LBUSD graduates entered
CSULB as freshmen in 2012 compared to 519 LBUSD graduates in
2008, according to a press statement. The report also highlights a
500-percent increase in English
course completions and 200-percent
increase in math course completions.
One young woman’s story highlighted the success of the program.
Now an international business major,
Dominique Vera looked back at her
own pathway to college with deep
roots in the Long Beach public education system. She started off as a
kid at Burbank Elementary School
and attended Long Beach Poly High
School. She said she had thought all
the best universities were on the East

Coast, but when she realized quickly
that she could no longer afford the
university she was attending in Massachusetts, she made her way back
home to Long Beach to attend
LBCC. She then transferred to California State University Long Beach
(CSULB) and is now considering a
second major in hospitality management.
“If you get anything out of this,
just understand…the value and the
opportunities are here,” Vera said in
a speech directed to nearly 200 people who packed into the auditorium.
“Learn from my mistakes…I realized that everything was waiting
here in Long Beach for me. Why go
away when you have the best here?”
The celebration culminated in an
awards ceremony where about 30
students
from
middle-school
LBUSD received scholarships that
ranged from $50 to $250.
However, leaders acknowledged
the challenges that the program had

cess.”
Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster
chaired the CSULB presidential selection committee that brought Alexander
to the university. “During his tenure,
President Alexander elevated CSULB
to one of the top public universities in
the nation despite a period of tremendous financial challenges in this state,”
Foster said. “King’s energy and passion for the mission of the public university system is infectious, and his
talents will be missed here in Long
Beach. I am sorry to see him go but
wish him nothing but success at LSU.”
Former Long Beach Mayor Beverly O’Neill is an alumna of CSULB.
“I really believe we were lucky to have
him at Cal State Long Beach for the
past seven years,” she said. “He has
made a difference at the university,
which has advanced in so many ways.
In particular, he worked closely with
the Long Beach Unified School District and Long Beach City College to
form a strong partnership for students
of Long Beach to help them flow from
kindergarten through graduate school.
President Alexander has been a great
source of pride for the greater Long
Beach community, and I know that he
is going to do extremely well in his
new position at Louisiana State University.”
Alexander partnered with Long
Beach Unified School District Superintendent Christopher J. Steinhauser
and Long Beach City College President Eloy Ortiz Oakley on the College
Promise venture.
“I greet the news of President F.
King Alexander’s appointment at President-Chancellor at Louisiana State
University with sadness and great
pride,” Oakley said. “His commitment
to our community and students as
exemplified by the Long Beach College Promise will be deeply missed in
Long Beach. These same traits set him
apart as a higher-education leader who
understands the connection of public
education institutions to the communities they serve. He has been a true partner of Long Beach City College, and
his leadership has helped secure the
success of the Long Beach College
Promise for generations to come. I am

sure he will produce similar results at
LSU.”
Steinhauser said that LSU is very
fortunate to get Alexander as its president-chancellor. “He has done wonderful things to elevate the stature of Cal
State Long Beach, and he has
remained a true friend of our K–12
school system during some difficult
times for California’s
public
schools,”
Steinhauser said. “We
are saddened to see
King leave, but we
know that wherever
he goes, he will have
a tremendous, positive impact upon the
lives of students. I’m
personally grateful
for all that he has
done to help ensure
equity and access to a
college education for
all students in our
community, and I
wish him all the
best.”
Alexander will
remain president of
CSULB
through
June.

faced. The program began in 2008,
just before a recession and before the
State again announced major cuts to
public higher education. Donald
Para, who serves as CSULB’s
provost and senior vice president for
academic affairs, acknowledged in
his address that CSULB had to
reduce overall enrollment by 2,000
students.
“This is a celebratory day,” Para
said in an interview Thursday.
“Nonetheless, I have to say that we
are so financially challenged right
now, and we are redirecting
resources that we have put in other
places toward seeing that our students continue to succeed. But the
path we’re on right now is not sustainable, so without some additional
funding…it will remain for us a pri-

SIGNAL TRIBUNE

15

ority, but it will be challenge.”
He said, however, that they still
look forward to seeing their numbers
increase and emphasized that there is
a commitment from all three institutions to support the program.
Cuts to educational programs
were also emphasized by a group of
student protestors who briefly interrupted the celebration. Marshawn
Frasier, a 32-year-old auto-trade student at LBCC, was among the protestors who held up signs in the
meeting. Frasier said she had two
classes to complete before LBCC cut
the program. She criticized the college’s decision to cut the program
and said the administration took
raises at the same time.
“It’s about them, not about us,”
Frasier said. ß